Women central to efforts to deal with climate change: UNFPA
Thursday, 19 November 2009
Women bear the disproportionate burden of climate change, but have so far been largely overlooked in the debate about how to address problems of rising seas, droughts, melting glaciers and extreme weather, concludes The State of World Population 2009, released Wednesday by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, says a press release.
"Poor women in poor countries like Bangladesh are among the hardest hit by climate change, even though they contributed the least to it," says UNFPA Representative in Bangladesh Arthur Erken.
The poor are especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and the majority of the 1.5 billion people living on $1.0 a day or less are women. The poor are more likely to depend on agriculture for a living and therefore risk going hungry or losing their livelihoods when droughts strike, rains become unpredictable and hurricanes move with unprecedented force. The poor tend to live in marginal areas, vulnerable to floods, rising seas and storms.
The report was supplemented by a video documentation on 'Population and Climate Change: Facing the Challenges in Bangladesh' which drew attention of the audience present for its information on the situation of women under the climatic conditions in Bangladesh, especially after the SIDR and the AILA
The State of World Population 2009 argues that the international community's fight against climate change is more likely to be successful if policies, programmes and treaties take into account the needs, rights and potentials of women.
The report shows that investments that empower women and girls-particularly education and health-bolster economic development and reduce poverty and have a beneficial impact on climate.
"Poor women in poor countries like Bangladesh are among the hardest hit by climate change, even though they contributed the least to it," says UNFPA Representative in Bangladesh Arthur Erken.
The poor are especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and the majority of the 1.5 billion people living on $1.0 a day or less are women. The poor are more likely to depend on agriculture for a living and therefore risk going hungry or losing their livelihoods when droughts strike, rains become unpredictable and hurricanes move with unprecedented force. The poor tend to live in marginal areas, vulnerable to floods, rising seas and storms.
The report was supplemented by a video documentation on 'Population and Climate Change: Facing the Challenges in Bangladesh' which drew attention of the audience present for its information on the situation of women under the climatic conditions in Bangladesh, especially after the SIDR and the AILA
The State of World Population 2009 argues that the international community's fight against climate change is more likely to be successful if policies, programmes and treaties take into account the needs, rights and potentials of women.
The report shows that investments that empower women and girls-particularly education and health-bolster economic development and reduce poverty and have a beneficial impact on climate.