IWD: Tackling Extreme Poverty in Climate Change through Gender Equality

Climate change as a natural phenomenon has come to stay but its entrenched and deepening gender bias as consequence can be tackled only through gender equality, Kuni Tyessi writes

The female folk who are arguably the largest population in Nigeria, still suffer limited access to environmental goods and control negligible services. Their participation in decision-making processes are not involved in the distribution of environment management benefits. Consequently, women are less able to confront climate change.
As Nigeria joins the globe in commemorating the 2022 International Women’s Day, the theme, “Gender equality today, for sustainable tomorrow” explores the emerging concerns of the adverse effects and lingering consequences of climate change within Nigeria’s environment.
 This also goes to determine the economic and social progress, as well as several openings and potentials which are made available to women and girls to leverage on, and become key participants in decision making  towards creating positive impacts in cushioning the negative implications of climate change.
In Nigeria, the poorly constructed politics of gender in the face of climate change are still relatively poorly understood, and women are largely absent in policy making processes. An example was the recent show of shame in which male legislators voted against more seats for women in the federal and state Houses of Assembly.
Moreso, the high dependence of rain- dependence agriculture and the over representation of women in this sphere, relatively to men, means that women’s livelihoods and economic empowerment opportunities are being threatened as a result of climate change.
For the girl child, climate vulnerables perpetuate pre-existing gender inequalities and exacerbates harmful socially constructed norms and practices. Girls in vulnerable households are more likely to drop out of school during a weather crisis and more susceptible to gender based violence when they are displaced, or schools are closed due to climate related events.

Women often have to shoulder a larger burden in countless settings, and it deepens existing gender inequalities.

Women and girls overwhelmingly undertake the labour of gathering food, water, and household  energy resources such as firewood, despite the threat of deforestation and in most cases, the inability to plant trees. In the case of natural disasters such as droughts and forests burn, they have to travel for several kilometers and spend more time acquiring these resources. As a

result, they have less time to pursue other sources of income which prevents them from becoming economically self reliant. 

Climate change is making it harder to manage household responsibilities like cooking, cleaning, gathering resources, and caring for children.This is especially felt in rural communities which are often saddled with inaccessible roads, poor or lack of electricity supply as well as other social amenities.

As soil quality worsens and water becomes more scarce, women will be less able to find the credit and financing they need to be resilient to the changing conditions. And without any possibility of buying new properties, many female farmers will be stuck with ever-declining yields on their existing lands.

According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), gender-based violence and exploitation rises as resources dwindle, land becomes increasingly unlivable, and climate change increases.
“Violence against women is often employed as a way to reinforce gender imbalances and maintain control of limited resources in these situations.

"The majority of women lack deeds or titles to the lands that they farm, so their avenues for compensation or redress are limited when climate change adversely affects their agricultural output."

Climate-related displacement is also on the rise and the majority of those forced to leave their homes are women. Reasons are hinged on the fact that women are more likely than men to live in poverty and have fewer resources to recover in the aftermath.

When girls and women are displaced, they’re often unable to continue their education and pursue economic opportunities. Refugee girls are half as likely to be in school as refugee boys.

Women and girls also face higher rates of child marriage, domestic violence, sexual violence, and human trafficking due to climate change. For example, in 
Northeastern Nigeria, Boko Haram has targeted populations, particularly women who have been displaced from their land by drought and insurgency. 
Rising water temperatures and acidification are causing fish populations to decline. Women who depend on fish for their livelihoods are increasingly being forced to sell sex for food. 
"Sex for fish is a form of gender-based violence. Women are trading sex for access to fish, access to markets, access to livelihood,” Cate Owren, senior gender programme manager at IUCN said. 

“It is that negotiation of power, and negotiation of access to natural resources in unequal structures, that makes gender-based violence a tool.”
UN Women country representative to ECOWAS and Nigeria, Ms. Comfort Lamptey, in her speech in preparation for the 2022 IWD, said those who are most affected by climate change today are women, girls and marginalised persons, and as such, they need to be involved in the design and implementation of climate response actions to ensure the equal sharing of benefits. 
She added that achieving gender equality and sustainable development in the context of climate change, will further require forging stringer alliances between the government of Nigeria, civil society, including women's organisations, the private sector and developmental partners.

“Globally, the UN is working with sister agencies including UNEP and UNDP to demonstrate how gender, climate and security are inextricably linked.
“UN women continues to advocate for women’s representation around decision making tables to find sustainable solutions to the climate crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic provided undisputable demonstration of the necessity of women’s leadership in effectively handling a global crisis.
 “Additionally, UN women is advocating for policy interventions that are targeted at ensuring that women are represented in sectors likely to create higher- end green jobs, energy and construction, with the additional benefit of challenging existing perception on acceptable jobs for women.
“The intergovernmental knowledge, skills and leadership of women and girls climate defenders and activists need to be fully brought to bear if societies are to succeed in the conservation and sustainable use of our planet’s limited resources”.
It is expected that in harnessing the efforts of donor agencies and international organisations towards supporting women in their expected rightful place, Nigerian government and local stakeholders will explore the field of adequate funding, laudable policy formulation and implementation, as well as inclusivity of women in decision making. Only in the aforementioned and more can Nigeria improve her GDP and better living.   

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"Those who are most affected by climate change today are women, girls and marginalised persons, and as such, they need to be involved in the design and implementation of climate response actions to ensure the equal sharing of benefits"