Thank you for inviting me to speak about the impacts of climate change on women and girls. And discuss this we must - because in an already unequal world – the triple planetary crisis – of climate change; of biodiversity loss; and of pollution and waste – is only making our world more unequal and more divided. Because every crisis we face, from COVID-19, to poverty, to hunger, to the climate crisis – has a female face.
Seventy per cent of women live in poverty. As we chip away at the natural world, daily tasks like securing water, food, and fuel, often done by women and girls take longer and becomes harder. This forces many girls to drop out of school so that they can support their families. As the poorest households continue to shoulder the burden of climate change and extreme weather events, young girls often with little education or financial independence, are more likely to join the ranks of 12 million girls married before the age of 18 each year. And we all know that women are the farmers for the world but often don’t have rights to land or land titles. Women own less than 10 per cent of the land and here in Africa from where I speak, four in five women lack access to a bank account or formal financial institution. Without land tenure and access to credit, women will be unable to adapt to climate trends and withstand climate shocks. And as we pollute our planet, women are at a higher risk – from indoor air pollution; from toxic chemicals in the workforce or agricultural fields; and from poor sanitation.
But I paint this somewhat pessimistic picture not to discourage you. Far from it! In every generation it is the young people that challenge the status quo and force change. And gender equality in a climate changing world, can and must be how we define our future. Many of you have heard the amazing American poet Amanda Gorman speak. Now she once said, “The way forward isn’t a road we take, the way forward is a road women make.” So, allow me to share a few ideas on the road women can make.
First, we all have to take charge and lead the change in our own organizations. My boss UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has made gender parity a key United Nations priority, especially at the senior leadership level and I am pleased that we have made progress on this, but there is a lot more work to be done. This is why all of the UN agencies and programmes really push and articulate an emphasis on women’s economic inclusion, on investment in the care economy, and on green jobs. Some my first point is to be the change inside where you are to make gender equality a key issue.
Second, I encourage everyone – man, woman, boy or girl – to embrace feminist leadership which embodies compassion, strength and direction. We all know women are stewards of our planet be it is on peace or climate change. But the truth is we have too few women in top jobs who can bring some of those values to the table. In 2020, women accounted for 15 per cent of world’s environment ministers. I believe this is an unacceptable number. Not because every woman environment minister will be a feminist leader but there is an opportunity here to bring more female voices to the table. It is time to open the doors to more women leaders because as the UN Secretary-General has pointed out, “male-dominated teams will come up with male-dominated solutions. I say to you, we’ve had enough of male-dominated solutions. So, we must reinvigorate environmental multilateralism, putting women at the heart of environmental decision-making. This is critical. Embrace feminist leadership.
Third, embrace science and ensure it is delivered and speaks with greater diversity at its core. Only about 30 percent of the world’s researchers are women, with fewer holding senior positions. Among the top 100 scientific papers published on climate in the last five years, less than half were authored by women, with only 12 papers having female lead authors. Climate science is a complex discipline but to be successful and by this, I mean science that moves into policy, it is critical that science is informed by diverse perspectives and diverse solutions. So that’s my third point: engage with science and make the science come alive with female solutions.
Four, women’s freedom to choose and act on our full range of human rights to health is a critical foundation for a more just and sustainable world. But unfortunately, women’s choices and freedoms are under attack in many places. So, I ask you to raise your voices loud and clear, because decisions reversing progress on women’s reproductive rights will have a wider impact on the rights and choices of women and adolescents everywhere.
And finally, as we seek to ensure a just transition to a green, sustainable future we have to reorient finance flows and economic models and invest in resilience and capacity building. All these tracks have to be gender responsive. Because sure, on paper women can benefit from green jobs, but only if this is backed by real policies and programmes that account for women’s reduced access to formal sector employment and reduced access to education. This will help us level the playing field in the new green jobs world.
So, with these words, I ask you to raise your voice, because when women lack resources; when women lack rights; when women lack voice; when women lack freedom to move; when women lack agency over their bodies – we become trapped in high climate risk environments. And that simply won’t work. In the words of Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai, “I raise up my voice—not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard. … We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.”
Thank you.
