In spring 2007, it happened for the first time in the Osukuru region in eastern Uganda: The heavy rains started and simply would not stop. More and more water accumulated, washing out fields and taking houses with it. The people here had never experienced flooding before. But since 2007, the heavy rains and then the droughts have become more and more frequent.

Most of the about 50.000 people in the area live from selling the surplus of their home-grown produce. The environmental impact hits them hard every time. Harvests collapse and families lose their livelihoods. Many men leave their villages to look for work in larger cities. Some never return, leaving their wives and children to fend for themselves. Out of necessity, girls have been entered into child marriages, women have been forced into sex work, children have had to leave school early. Many people in Osukuru are not even familiar with the word climate change, yet its consequences are destroying livelihoods – and they affect women and children the most.

Climate change: Neither fair nor gender neutral

Osukuru’s example shows what many people still fail to realize: The consequences of climate change are incredibly unfair – and so is the cause of global warming. Most of the world’s harmful greenhouse gases are emitted by the more developed northern countries – and by men. And no, men’s larger ecological footprint is not simply due to the fact that they tend to be taller than women and therefore consume more.

According to a study by the Universities of Gothenburg and Groningen, single men produce 18 percent more climate-damaging emissions than single women. And the issue is not merely how much men spend – on average two percent more than women – but what they spend it on. On average, men drive more cars, eat more meat and consume more energy, the study found.

At the same time, women consider climate protection more important, act in a more environmentally friendly way, and demand more climate measures. They are also more willing to change their lifestyle and spend more money to ensure they live in environmentally and climate-friendly ways. All this was revealed by the extensive population survey “Environmental Awareness in Germany”, which was conducted by the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV) in 2020.

Why women prioritize climate action

Women prioritize climate protection – and for good reason. Which gender is disproportionately affected by the climate crisis? Which one is, on average worldwide, poorer and therefore more vulnerable to the harmful effects of climate change? When droughts and floods, hurricanes and tsunamis hit communities, which gender is more likely to suffer from rising poverty and from the increase of domestic and sexual violence that so often comes in its wake? And which gender is often left to fend for itself as hardship spirals? Which gender has less access to higher education across the world and therefore fewer chances to adapt to the effects of climate change?

Time and again, it is women. These gender-specific climate impacts can be found all over the world, as a meta-study based on the analysis of 130 research projects in a wide range of countries showed. In 68 percent of the cases examined, women were more affected by health risks, and in 64 percent, they were more exposed to the impacts of extreme weather events. In 79 percent, women were more likely than men to suffer from food insecurity as a result of climate change.

This inequality in climate impacts has nothing to do with biological differences. Rather, it is due to the different social and economic roles that men and women hold in societies across the world. And the good news is: This means, it can be changed.

A male problem with a female solution

When the floods kept hitting Osukuru, Constance Okollet immediately knew that something had to be done. Together with twelve female colleagues, the social worker founded the Osukuru United Women’s Network (OWN). Their approach: Climate justice through education. Women organize themselves in local communities to learn how to deal with floods and droughts. To end their dependency on one type of plant, people started to sow more climate-resistant and diverse varieties. Today, they build houses with waste products from their harvests, and follow the strategy “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” wherever possible. The air they breathe has become better as they reforest more and turned to cooking on more environmentally friendly stoves.

Worldwide, women are crucial to climate protection. This is evident even in the corporate world. A study by BloombergNEF and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation shows that companies with many female employees are more likely to invest in renewable energies. They are more likely to measure their emissions and put in policies to reduce them. The more companies have women in leadership positions, the more they focus on being energy-efficient and reducing harmful impacts on the environment.

The same is the case in the world of politics. A study published in the journal Sustainable Development showed that countries with more women in parliament are more likely to ratify environmental agreements and adopt concepts to combat climate change. Even the air quality is better in European countries where women have more decision-making responsibility in politics, as researchers from the Universities of Pisa and Navarra have shown.

Pioneers of the climate movement

It’s a fact: Having more women in power in business and politics is good for the protection of our climate, the environment and therefore our livelihoods. And indeed, the climate movement is full of inspiring women who are committed to a sustainable, fair and good life for all. One of them is Katharine Hayhoe, a climate scientist in the conservative US-state of Texas, who researches, writes, teaches and advises on climate change and how to deal with its impacts.

Her strategy: “Talk about it!” Instead of lecturing people, she advises to look for common ground and to broach the issue of climate change through the lens of shared concerns. Even her personal faith comes into play in this approach. As a devout Christian, she communicates on climate issues through shared Christian values such as charity and justice. Protecting the climate is also a matter of faith, she says, as it helps to limit poverty, displacement and conflicts over resources that come in the wake of climate-induced hardship.

Climate action as a matter of faith? Mary Robinson – from 1990 to 1997 President of the then still deeply Catholic Republic of Ireland and from 1997 to 2002 United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights – is also an icon among the women in the climate movement. For her, global warming is, crucially, a social and feminist challenge, rather than merely an ecological one. And she insists: Since the climate crisis affects all areas of life, it can only be tackled through cooperation and interdisciplinary approaches involving all.

Climate change is more than a natural scientific phenomenon, both Katherine Hayhoe and Mary Robinson agree. Talking about climate change always means talking about social justice, migration, poverty, and human rights – and this always implies talking about equal rights for women.

Climate justice encompasses a broad range of issues

The women of Uganda’s OWN network also see their work as more than just an ecological project. Their goals include more social equity and psychological empowerment. As a result of their efforts, a network of more than 2,000 members, organized in more than 40 groups, is now tackling the impacts of the climate crisis and the oppression of women together.

And their measures are working: In Osukuru’s UWN network, the women support each other and pass on their knowledge. Through environmentally-conscious farming, they have improved their food security and, in many cases, their health. Most importantly, many now earn their own money, which enables them to lead not only a sustainable life, but also an independent one, with major improvements also for their social well-being: “If a woman has money in her pocket, she is not dependent on her husband. And men are less quick to strike because they know she has a choice,” explains Constance Okollet.

More gender equity means better climate solutions

Women are not just the vulnerable victims, they are also the solution to the climate crisis. They should not be forced to the margins of debates on how to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Instead, they should be key participants and key shapers of any solution – right from the start. 

Let’s imagine a world in which women and men contribute equally to tackling the climate crisis. So many ideas, projects and initiatives, so many more people would help to think about and promote climate justice and create a better world for everyone. Involving women means integrating more perspectives, more strategies and more knowledge as well as unique social skills and experiences.

It gives me hope that there is still so much untapped potential worldwide that can be harnessed to advance both climate protection and equality. And if the seats for women at the table are not offered, then they must be demanded.