A new report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has revealed that poor women especially in Africa will be hardest hit by climate change because they are the poorest but also adds that they hold the key to climate change solutions.

According to the UNFPA's 2009 State of the World Population new report, women comprise the majority of the world's farmers, have fewer income-earning opportunities and they manage households and hence have limited mobility making them more vulnerable to natural disasters.

According to the report subtitled: Facing a changing world: women population and climate released on November 18, poor and vulnerable populations the world over are the ones who will be hardest hit by climate change despite their comparatively minute contribution to global carbon footprint.

The report emphasises that climate change is more than an issue of energy efficiency or industrial carbon emissions; it is also an issue of population dynamics poverty and gender equity.

UNFPA five recommendations suggest:

That a better understanding of population dynamics gender and reproductive health should form a basis for climate change and environmental discussions at all levels.

It advocates for fully funded family planning services and contraceptive supplies within the framework of reproductive health and rights to assure that low income is no barrier to access.

It proposes that research and data collection be prioritised in order to improve the understanding of gender and population dynamics in climate change mitigation and adaptation. Existing research is heavily based on projections and estimates and research is required to fill in the gaps.

It warns that we must prepare now for increases in population movements resulting from climate change and improve the disaggregation of data by sex that is related to migration flows influenced by environmental factors.

Finally it emphasises that conscious efforts must be made to integrate gender considerations into global efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

The report calls for governments to remove obstacles to women's participation in the climate change debate - not only within legislative bodies but through improving the life conditions of women - especially those related to education health and opportunity - allowing them to reach for and achieve personal and collective goals.

Greater representation of women within civil society at formal climate change negotiations is a critical first step but the report goes on to say that Women's voices will need to be forceful and heard from tribal councils to national energy ministries to the halls of the United Nations.