This is a PPT on basics of "Women and the world of Climate Change". It is useful for BA as well as BA.LLB, BBA.LLB and LLM students for subjects such as Foundation Course, Gender studies, Environmental Law, etc. Students should refer to text books and reference books for in-depth study.

1. WOMEN AND THE WORLD OF
CLIMATE CHANGE – A
CONCEPTUAL FOUNDATION
ADV. SHRADDHA PANDIT
BA, LLB, LLM, SET, Diploma in German,
Post Graduate Diploma in IPR, AIBE, Visiting Faculty &
Pursuing Ph.D. in Law from NMIMS, Mumbai

2. ENVIRONMENT & GENDER
Climate change: The analysis of gender norms and environment is complex
and multifaceted, with different social, economic and ecological impact.
Global warming and global climate change is resulting in changed patterns
of monsoon and increase in global temperatures. This has also led to several
natural disasters.
Natural calamities at times are of such a huge scale that they lead to
tsunami, earthquake, snow storms, landslides, dust storms, heavy flooding,
famine, draught, etc.

3. Due to severe natural calamities as well as shortage of food and water,
people have to leave the region struck by natural-disaster and have to
search for new pastures, new regions where they can settle and start
their lives anew.
These processes are not easy to go through and at times, involve
severe stress on resources, which in turn creates physical and mental
trauma.

4. Who are the worst-affected? WOMEN.
Women, young girls and transgenders are often disproportionately affected
during and as an aftermath of conflicts including migration due to natural
calamities and hazardous pollution. Especially if those women are
pregnant, young mothers and menstruating, due to lack of health and
hygiene measures it can lead to severe infections and health conditions.
Humanitarian responses and relief aid agencies need to analyze their
needs, which are different from men and need to take care of not just their
physical health but also their psychological health and overall wellbeing.

5. Chemicals and pollution: Due to the patriarchal division of work, women are supposed to
be doing the “reproductive work” in the household or in the farms whereas men engage
in more “productive work” outside the household. Women are exposed to traditional gas
stove, pumps, or get exposed to fertilizers in agriculture. Therefore, women are more
prone to get affected by respiratory diseases and indoor pollution than men. Also, men
get affected more due to factory and industrial pollution as well as mining pollution than
women.
 Climate crisis can also culminate into severe migrations and human rights violations.
According to UNHCR, the UN’s refugee agency, an annual average of 21.5 million
people were forcibly displaced each year by weather-related events – such as floods,
storms, wildfires and extreme temperatures – between 2008 and 2016.

6. We need to join hands and stop different types of pollution and prevent
natural calamities, otherwise it will only lead to an unprecedented increase
in the number of “Climate Refugees.”
The term “climate refugees” has been used since 1985. As per UN
Environment Programme (UNEP) expert Essam El-Hinnawi climate
refugees or climate or environmental migrants can be defined as, “People
who have been forced to leave their traditional habitat, temporarily or
permanently, because of marked environmental disruption.” These climate
refugees find difficult to adapt to the new environment, especially if they
have migrated or sought refuge in other countries due to forcible climatic
conditions and natural emergencies.

7. Looking at some statistics, one can
understand that disasters triggered 32.6
million new internal displacements in
2022, making it the highest figure in a
decade as well as 41 per cent higher than
the annual average of the past decade.
(2023 Global Report on Internal Displacement”, Internal
Displacement Monitoring Centre)

9. One of the major issues that crops up is women’s safety
when they are shifted to any temporary shelter after they
have become climate refugees. Thus, Governmental and
private players including charitable organisations should
come forward to ensure women and girls have privacy and
can safely use temporary shelters without being sexually
attacked or violated. As per the International Committee of
the Red Cross, although there are several international and
national laws to prevent Gender Based Violence (GBV)
unfortunately there continue to be incidences of GBVs in
relief camps and temporary shelters.

10. SOME ENVIRO-GENDER CASE STUDIES
1. Water Wives in Rural Maharashtra, India, South Asia
In many parts of India, specifically rural Maharashtra, depicts a sad reality
about gender inequality, that is some villages, a man marries several women
just so that there are more hands to fetch water, besides tending to
household chores. An NGO named Action Aid has explored the social evil of
“polygamy for providing water” and cleverly put out in the short film
titled “Water Wives”. This 5 minutes’ film points at several structural
problems in society, thereby working to fight against climate crisis, immoral
rural social customs, poverty and gender inequality.

11. WATER WIVES

12. 2. Vulnerability to flooding in Mozambique, East Africa
Poor men and women cultivate land in high risk, fertile flood plains
along the coast in Mozambique. The floodplains are a common
property resource and are accessible to women who do not own
their own land. During the 2000 and 2001 floods, many men and
women lost their lives and their livelihoods. Women did not leave
due to the fear of losing their claim to their land and their crops.
When the floods receded they returned to cultivate the same areas
even though they had been resettled elsewhere. This is because
they had limited access to land near their new homes and the land
in the floodplains was more fertile.

13. 3. Women worst affected by cyclones in Bangladesh, South Asia
Women suffered most following the cyclone and floods in Bangladesh
in 1991. Among women aged 20-44 the death rate was 71 per 1000,
compared to 15 per 1000 for men. Women were left behind at home
by their husbands for the care and protection of In addition, saris
restricted their movement and women were weaker than men due to
malnutrition.

14. GENDER & MOTHER EARTH –A SYMBIOSIS
 The current global climate change and its harmful gendered effects attract our attention to the dire need of
revisiting the concepts of “Mother Earth” and “Ecofeminism”. While men and women must work hand in hand to
confront the environmental challenges of our time, considerations of gender and environment are crucial to our
ability to achieve a just and sustainable future.
 Gender inequalities and poor sanitation facilities for women, have a negative impact on overall human health,
the environment and sustainable development. Therefore, mainstreaming gender into the global environmental
agenda is essential to strive for a healthier planet for all.
 Don’t we call Earth our Mother? The concepts of “Gender’ and “Mother Earth” are closely linked and form a
symbiotic relationship. Therefore, it is time to rescue Mother Earth from the negative effects of global pollution
and climate change, and at the same time to rescue women from being adversely affected by climate change.

15. ECOFEMINISM
 Ecofeminism is the study of connection between exploitation
and degradation of the natural world with the subordination and
oppression of women. It emerged in the mid-1970s in the USA
along with the efforts of feminist activists and
environmentalists to raise concerns regarding the negative
effects of environmental deterioration on women, men and the
world at large. Ecofeminists believe that a cultural and social
association of women with ecology allow the approach of legal,
humanitarian and restoration work to be more sensitive and
proactive leading to problem-solving. For instance, Vandana
Shiva is a famous eco-feminist from India.

16. ENVIRONMENT AND GENDER -
RELATED CONVENTIONS
There are several International Conventions and Treaties for environment and gender as follows:
“Gender and other social inequities (e.g., racial, ethnic, age, income, geographic location)
compound vulnerability to climate change impacts. […] Addressing inequities in access to
resources, assets, and services as well as participation in decision-making and leadership is
essential to achieving gender and climate justice.” - IPCC, Climate Change 2022: Impacts,
Adaptation and Vulnerability (AR6, WG3), Chapter 18
The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has mainstreamed gender issues.
The UNFCCC Paris Agreement recognizes the intersection of climate change and gender equality,
the empowerment of women, and the realization of their rights.
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) recognizes the vital role women play in the
conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

17. MDGs and SDGs
 The United Nations (UN) had adopted 8 Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) and urged
all member Nations to take efforts to achieve them by the target-year of 2015. However, The
UN worked with governments, civil society and other partners to build on the momentum
generated by the MDGs namely: Fight poverty and hunger, gender inequality, environmental
degradation, and HIV/AIDS, while improving access to education, maternal health care and
clean water, and thus strive to achieve global partnership for development.
 However, the dream to achieve complete gender equality and women empowerment was
still not achieved. Therefore, the UN had to adopt the 17 Sustainable Development Goals
(SDGs) which demonstrate the scale and ambition of the new universal Agenda.

18. These goals provide a comprehensive framework for addressing
social, economic, and environmental challenges to achieve a
sustainable future for all. The SDGs build upon the earlier Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) but are more comprehensive and
ambitious in their scope. All countries are summoned to achieve these
17 SDGs by the target-year 2030. Its time that Gender Justice and
Gender Equality is taken seriously and not just as an after-thought.

20. THE WAY FORWARD: SOME
SUGGESTIONS TO ADDRESS CLIMATE
& GENDER ISSUES
International players such as States,
Corporates, NGOs, Research Institutions,
Think Tanks, Policy makers, Media and
Social media must become more cohesive,
collaborative and effective to address
climate change and to bring in gender
equality.

21. GENDER MAINSTREAMING
Gender mainstreaming is the need of the hour. This includes strategies to bring
women at the forefront using various schemes and programs to reduce biases
against women.
If we look at the two concepts of “Environment” and “Gender”, they are interwoven
and complex. Therefore, a multi-layered approach is the only solution to understand
them and to solve the problems associated with them. Developing gender-sensitive
strategies for national growth and development are the need of the hour. A concrete,
evidence-based model is required to spread awareness amongst the general public
at large regarding effects of climate change on women and how the risks can be
gradually reduced.

22. TRANSFORMATIVE CHANGE
A Transformative change is required to bring fundamental shifts in thought, culture,
belief and attitudes and approaches towards women.
Legal Reforms and Anti-Discrimination Laws need to Strengthen gender equality
and prohibit discrimination
A Climate Refugee Fund can be set up for every state and national level climate-
related crisis for rehabilitation of climate victims similar to what UNHCR has done
on international level “Refugee Environmental Protection Fund”
Cultural Awareness: Media Representation: Encourage positive and diverse
portrayals of women in the media to challenge existing stereotypes and promote
healthy role models.
Public Awareness Campaigns: Conduct campaigns to raise awareness about climate
and gender issues, promoting respect and equality.

23. Empowerment Programs & Skills Training: Providing skills training
and entrepreneurship opportunities for women, especially in agrarian
communities for fostering economic independence.
Leadership Training: Offer leadership development programs to
empower women to take on leadership roles in various fields.
Access to Healthcare: Ensure that women have access to affordable
and comprehensive healthcare, including reproductive health
services.

24. Gender sensitization is required at all levels.
Engage Men and Boys: Encourage men and boys to be allies in the
pursuit of gender equality, challenging harmful stereotypes and
behaviors. Work with men and boys to understand and to support
women’s rights in emergencies.
Community-Based Initiatives: Support grassroots initiatives that focus
on empowering women and challenging gender norms at the local
level.

25. Finally, I would like to conclude with an instance of judicial activisim
in India. As in the landmark judgement of “M.C. Mehta vs. Union of
India” AIR 1987 SC 1086, (Popularly known as the “Oleum Gas Leak
Case”), under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, the Supreme
Court has recognized as part of the fundamental right to life - the right
to live in a pollution-free environment.
Thus, we are not just talking about women here, we are also
concerned about everyone’s Right to live in a healthy environment
and it is not possible without men’s and boy’s proactive participation
in this process to bring in ecological and gender equality and balance.

26. Acknowledgements
Firstly, I would thank my mother and my family for their constant
support and encouragement.
Secondly, I would love to thank Mr. Ayush Pandey and Jus Corpus Law
Journal for giving me this wonderful opportunity.
Thirdly, I would thank my Research Assistant, Ms. Jia Singh, who is a
very diligent law student and a great researcher.

27. REFERENCES
El-Hinnawi, E. 1985. Environmental Refugees. United Nations Environment
Programme, Nairobi, 4
Gender Justice: Key to Achieving the Millennium Development Goals
https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2012/4/gender-
justice-key-to-achieving-the-millennium-development-goals
Sean McAllister, Here’s what you need to know, Zurich Resilience Solution,
https://www.zurich.com/en/media/magazine/2022/there-could-be-1-2-billion-climate-refugees-by-2050-here-s-
what-you-need-to-
know#:~:text=According%20to%20UNHCR%2C%20the%20UN's,temperatures%20%E2%80%93%20between%20
2008%20and%202016.

28. Addressing Sexual Violence, International Committee of the Red Cross,
https://www.icrc.org/en/what-we-do/sexual-violence
2023 Global Report on Internal Displacement, Internal Displacement
Monitoring Centre, 2023 https://www.internal-displacement.org/global-
report/grid2023/
 Shweta Sengar, 'Water Wives': How Lack Of Water In This Maharashtra
Village Led To Polygamy, IndiaTimes.Com, 2022
https://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/water-wives-how-lack-of-water-in-
this-maharashtra-village-led-to-polygamy-568090.html

29. Millenium Development Goals And Beyond 2015
https://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/
Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 25 September 2015,
Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development, United Nations General Assembly (2015)
https://documents-dds-
ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N15/291/89/PDF/N1529189.pdf?OpenEl
ement

30. OXFAM MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR GENDER IN EMERGENCIES (2013) chrome-
extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://oxfamilibrary.openrepository.co
m/bitstream/10546/305867/4/ml-oxfam-gender-emergencies-minimum-standards-
291113-en.pdf
Dr. S.R. Myneni, Gender Justice & Feminist Jurisprudence, New Era Law Publication, 2023
(In Print Only)
The Gender and Environment Nexus, Geneva Environment Network,
https://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/resources/updates/gender-and-the-
environment/

31. • Shraddha Pandit, “Feminist Jurisprudence: Evolution of Law Through
a Woman’s Lens”(Journal publication), Published in Symbiosis Law
School, Nagpur Multidisciplinary Law Review (SNLR) Volume IIIssue I
(June-December 2022) E-ISSN 2583 -1984 by Symbiosis Law School
Nagpur, Constituent of Symbiosis International (Deemed University)
https://www.slsnagpur.edu.in/current-journal
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