This Spring IANGEL was asked to produce a special paper on the intersection of women, culture and climate change, in order to inform the United Nations Special Rapporteur in the field of Cultural Rights’ forthcoming report on climate change. “Women, Cultural Rights and Climate Change: Challenges and Opportunities in Response to the Global Crisis” has just been released and we look forward to the work’s contribution to the UN Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights.
Below we highlight some excerpts from the report . . .
*In direct response to COVID-19 and the unprecedented impacts this pandemic will have on this issue, IANGEL has just been asked to produce a special addendum particularly addressing this topic. Once finalized we look forward to sharing this additional resource with you.
Why the intersection of women, culture and climate change?
“This paper discusses how climate change impacts women, and provides examples of that impact on cultural rights. This paper also addresses both the negative and positive aspects of climate change on culture, as culture is both a contributing factor to, and a positive force for adaptation in response to climate change. Notably, because women play a key role in preserving cultural rights, they can also create culture anew, driving new ways of life to adapt and respond to the global climate crisis.
. . . Because culture informs how societies view the natural environment, culture influences how societies respond to climate change. While cultural practices such as means of production, consumption, and lifestyle, can exacerbate climate change, culture can also be a driving force for adapting and responding to the global crisis . . .
Cultural norms already limit women’s access to and enjoyment of their cultural rights, and climate change can worsen these inequities. While women are thus among the most vulnerable to climate change, they are often also the first responders in their communities, working to protect their communities, traditions and ways of life from the negative effects of climate change. For this reason, women can be catalysts for climate change activism and response in their communities.”
What does it look like?
“Young women and girls are some of the most prominent and vocal activists organizing for responses to climate change. These activists are changing the narrative on climate change and pushing not just a reactive but a proactive narrative, forcing leaders to think about legacies they leave for future generations.”
“Haiti held a national stakeholders’ workshop on climate change with women representatives at the forefront of discussions. Nepal created an action plan that included the creation of women led seed banks to combat climate change threats to agriculture. And in Tanzania, women are working to gain land rights that would allow them more control over environmental planning techniques.”
What needs to be done?
“Gender mainstreaming is essential to mitigating the negative effects of climate change on the intersection of gender and cultural rights. Gender mainstreaming throughout all climate targets (such as lowering emissions) can decrease the negative effects of climate change on women and girls. Gender mainstreaming practices include ensuring participation of women in climate interventions; prioritizing the education of women and girls; improving gender disaggregated data; increasing preplanning to address women’s assets and vulnerabilities in climate change management; improving coordination between the public and private sector; and finally, redefining success so that women’s health and economic prosperity can serve as surrogate markers for development.
The intersection of gender, culture, and the environment poses unique challenges and new opportunities for policy makers. While some cultural markers will be lost to climate change, others will adapt, and new ones will be created. What the research makes clear is that women, in many contexts and especially cultural ones, are essential to the development of any meaningful and effective response to the climate crisis we face today.”
See full report here
