Over 158 million more women and girls could be pushed into poverty as a result of climate change by 2050.
A report outlining ways to reverse the effects of climate change on women and girls has been launched at the ongoing United Nations Climate Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Over 158 million more women and girls could be pushed into poverty as a result of climate change by 2050. Close to 230 million more could face food insecurity, according to the report.
The report from UN Women recommends four ways to achieve what it calls climate justice for women and girls.
The four-pronged approach includes recognition, redistribution, representation and reparation.
"We see increasingly visible linkages between gender inequality and climate change, and I think because women tend to be poorer than men with less access to jobs, amongst others, it means that when climate conditions change, women are also less able to be resilient in the face of those impacts," said Laura Turquet, a senior policy advisor at UN Women.
The senior UN official indicated many ways in which women are impacted by climate change. These include the slow increase in child marriage in some areas where there is increased drought and flood because families are having to make difficult decisions about the future of their daughters.
"We worry that climate change will see the reversal of all the progress made on gender equality," Ms Turquet added.
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Case of Nigeria
Leaders from various sectors, such as governments, businesses, civil society, academia, indigenous groups, and scientists, are in Dubai to find solutions to mitigate the effects of climate change. Over the years, the UN has increasingly incorporated women's groups and advocates for girls' rights.
President Bola Tinubu led Nigeria's delegation alongside several other government and private sector officials.
Asked how Nigeria can ensure women's voices are featured in the discussion, the senior UN official said the government should make those spaces available for women to come in. In addition, women's organisations also need to be adequately funded to ensure they bring more women's voices on board.
"When women are represented, better policies are made," she argued. "If you have diverse lived experiences that come into policies, then policies better reflect the reality of women's lives.
Despite clamours for improvement in women's participation in public life worldwide, Nigeria appears to be moving in the wrong direction.
Of the 469 members of Nigeria's National Assembly, only 20 are women.
Nigeria also joined 59 other countries to endorse the Gender-Responsive Just Transitions & Climate Action Partnership.
This story was produced as part of the 2023 Climate Change Media Partnership, a journalism fellowship organized by Internews' Earth Journalism Network and the Stanley Center for Peace and Security.
