Climate Change is a multi-disciplinary area interlinked with many other fields, like food and agriculture, health, economy, water issues, disaster management and gender perspective. The role of women in climate change cannot be undermined due to their greater risks of susceptibility to climate change disasters. Pakistan is among top ten countries most affected by climate change, thus making its females more vulnerable to climate change risks. According to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the percentage of females in Pakistan is 48.76 percent as compared to 51 percent of men according to census 2017. This means that females comprises almost half population of Pakistan and equally prone to climate change disasters. Under the undocumented economy of Pakistan, many women in rural areas are associated with agricultural and livestock work, providing their families’ livelihood. The floods and droughts caused by climate change demolish crops, negatively impacting the livelihood of women.
The 2010-14 floods in Pakistan caused monetary losses of over 18 millions dollars, affected 38.12 million people, damaged 3.45 houses and destroyed 10.63 millions acre crops. The damages to crops and livestock also creates food security in the country, affecting the health of women in form of malnutrition during pregnancy and after childbirth. The women in Northern areas are dependent upon wood from forests in winter for cooking purposes and keeping them warm because many Northern areas lack facilities like gas and renewable energy resources. Thus, increasing deforestation that is main cause of global warming and climate change.
Climate Change is creating water shortage in our already water-restrained country, creating additional burden on rural women of Pakistan who fetch water from far off areas for domestic use. In the patriarchal society, financial problems due to climate change disasters lead to tensions in families and increase domestic violence against women. Similarly in rural areas, women are considered responsible for bringing up their children and domestic chores. There are many health issues caused by climate change in Pakistan like respiratory and eye infections due to smog. Not too long ago, heatwave in Karachi took lives of almost 2000 people. The diseases like malaria and dengue are temperature and rain sensitive and may increase due to climate change. The hot temperature is a condition for breeding and survival of dengue mosquito that is currently a major challenge in the province of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The women in Pakistan who are charged with the responsibility of taking care of ill family members are further over-burdened due to these health issues caused by climate change.
Pakistan has a significant representation of women parliamentarians from disaster prone areas. Women parliamentarians can play an active role in mobilising local women for disaster preparedness
All sustainable development goals are directly or indirectly related to goal 13 that is climate action. The goal number 5 called ‘gender equality’ also have a very important role in achieving targets of goal 13 ‘climate action’. First it’s very important to realise at all levels that women are at greater risks of climate change impacts. Pakistan is a signatory to Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The need to improve women’s participation in negotiations was also recognised by Conference of Parties 7 held in Marrakech. The Paris agreement somewhat reflects the importance of gender equality: the preamble talks about gender equality and empowerment of women. Adaptation and capacity building articles in Paris agreement include that action must be gender-responsive; and implementation of the decision is meant to take into account gender balance. So the needs of women vulnerable to climate change should be catered to under international commitments as well.
The government of Pakistan has taken various initiatives at policy level to include gender perspective separately like Climate Change Policy 2012, National Sanitation Policy 2006. There is a separate cell called Gender Child Cell working under National Disaster Management Authority. But there should be more practical steps to include the women in mainstream decision-making process. Pakistan is a country having significant representation of women parliamentarians from disaster prone areas. The female parliamentarians can play an active role to mobilise local women for disaster preparedness. There should be a specific funding in every project on climate change, allocated from gender perspective. A significant representation of women in all decision-making bodies of climate change at governmental and non -governmental level is also needed. Women must be included in delegations representing Pakistan at International forums on climate change as well.
The writer is based in Islamabad and works on environmental issues. She can be reached at [email protected]
Published in Daily Times, November 2nd 2017.