Global Health and Justice in a Changing Environment

Healthy Planet UK conference

Mala Rao OBEProfessor of International Health, University of East LondonHonorary Consultant in Public Health, Public Health England

Source: www.artforchange.tv

The impact of climate change on the health and well-being of women

Climate Change and women• Climate change is the biggest

global health threat of the 21st century.

• It will have a profound impact on disease patterns worldwide, and especially in developing countries

• What is less well recognized or talked about is that women are the most likely to suffer from climate change Source:

http://climatecongress.ku.dk/pdf/ClosingSessionPresentation.pdf/ Summary of key messages. Climate Change. Global risks , challenges and

decisions. Copenhagen 10-12 march, 2009Costello, A. and others. 2009. “Managing the Health Effects of Climate Change.” The Lancet 373 (9676): 1693-1733.http://oxfam.ca/our-work/campaigns/women-and-climate-change

Pic from http://thewere42.wordpress.com/

A.P. With sea-level rising, a nation plans en masse move. The Hindu. 11 March 2012. Available at: http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/article2982085.ece

How climate change affects women• Women take the brunt of climate change

because– it is women who make up the majority of

the world’s poor and– it is those with the fewest resources who

will be most susceptible to its negative effects.

• “The gender inequalities that define women’s lives prior to a climate disaster are really what put them at such greatly increased risk from climate change”- Kavita Ramdas, President of the Global Fund For Women

UNFPA & WEDO Report 2009 - Climate Connections Executive Summary. http://www.unfpa.org/public/publications/pid/4028Robert Engelman. The State of World Population 2009.United Nations Population Fund. 2009

Source: www.artforchange.tv

Heat waves

More frequent worldwide

Associated with marked short term increase in mortality

Evidence of high mortality in outdoor workers

Source: UNDP. Gender and Climate Change.2008Confalonieri, U et al, 2007: Human health. ClimateChange 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of theIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 391-431.Barnabas A et al. A Study on the Empowerment of Women Construction Workersas Masons in Tamil Nadu, India. Journal of International Women’s Studies. 2009; 11:122-141

Who informs the construction workers of the risks? 51% of these in India being women

Extreme weather events Women and children 14 times more likely to die than

men during a disaster 1991 cyclone which killed 140, 000 people in Bangladesh

- 90% victims were women Hurricane Katrina - most victims trapped in New Orleans

were African – American women with their children, the poorest population in that part of the country

An analysis of disasters in 141 countries showed that where women’s rights were compromised, female mortality was higher than that for males

Women more likely to die– Primary care-givers and stay at home to look after the

family or search for dependents immediately after disasters

– Cultural norms such as women’s inability to swim may prove fatal

Source:Neumayer, E., Plümper, T. (2007) The gendered nature of natural disasters: the impact of catastrophic events on the gender gap in life expectancy, 1981–2002. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 97 (3). pp. 551-566. cited in: Haigh C, Vallely B. Gender and the Climate Change Agenda. Women’s Environmental Network. 2010 Soroptimist International of the Americas. (2008). “Reaching Out to Women When Disaster Strikes.” White Paper: Disaster Relief. Philadelphia, PA. http://staging.soroptimist.org/ whitepapers/wp_disaster.htmBern. C et al. Risk factors for mortality in the Bangladesh Cyclone of 1991. Bulletin of the World Health OrganizationOxfam International - Rethinking disasters 2008. Rethinking Disasters Cover Page

Pic from UNPFA Report - State of the World Population 2009

Robert Engelman. The State of World Population 2009.United Nations Population Fund. 2009. Permission granted by advocacy unit UNFPA India on 13 March 2012.

Drought‘Women are the majority of the world's small-scale

farmers and produce most of the world's food. But climate change has made the risky business of farming all the more difficult. More frequent crop failures mean women work harder and families eat less’.

Reduced food security and severe undernutrition particularly in women and children– Women ate less during the Maha Akal drought in

Rajasthan

Increased household work and reduced income– Women and girls responsible for collecting and carrying

water – They now have to walk longer distances to fetch safe

water, leaving less time to contribute to paid work and resulting in halving of household income

Source: Food and Agricultural Organization. http://www.fao.org/sd/wpdirect/wpan0022.htmPopulation Action International. http://www.populationaction.org/blog/2008/07/global-climate-change-what-doe.html Oxfam International Rethinking disasters. 2008. Rethinking Disasters Cover Page http://oxfam.ca/our-work/campaigns/women-and-climate-change

Oxfam International Rethinking disasters. 2008Sivekumar, Kerbert, 2004. Drought, sustenance and Livelihoods: ‘Akal’ survey in Rajasthan, Economic and Political weekly. Jan 2004

Source: www.artforchange.tv

Drought as well as other climate disasters result in

Population displacements– 80 percent of the world’s refugees made up of

women and children

Climate Conflict Amplifies existing gender inequalities Higher levels of violence in the home and in post

disaster refugee camps– The experience of women and children

following the conflict in Darfur, Sudan, resulting at least in part from climate change

– Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, increased sexual assaults recorded by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center in the US

Source: UNFPA & WEDO Report 2009 - Climate Connections Executive Summary. http://www.unfpa.org/public/publications/pid/4028 Smith, D and Vivekananda, J. (2007) ‘A climate of conflict: the links between climate change, peace and war’, International Alert, LondonPopulation Action International http://www.populationaction.org/blog/2008/07/global-climate-change-what-doe.html UNFPA Report. State of World Population 2009. http://www.unfpa.org/swp/

Pic: A Climate of Conflict Report

Oxfam International Rethinking disasters. 2008. Rethinking Disasters Cover Page

Vector borne diseases

Global warming is increasing the numbers of people globally at risk of diseases such as malaria and dengue

Women are more vulnerable because of

– Poor access to medical services

– Risks associated with infection during pregnancy and lactation – malaria is among the biggest killers of pregnant women in sub-Saharan Africa

– Their role as primary care giversSource: International union for Conservation of Nature – Gender and Climate Change. Gender and Climate Change UNFPA & WEDO Report 2009 - Climate Connections Executive Summary. http://www.unfpa.org/public/publications/pid/4028 UNFPA State of the World Population 2009. http://www.unfpa.org/swp/

Pic from New York Times

Source: www.artforchange.tv

Climate Change, Women’s Health and MDGs

Climate change not only undermines women’s socio-economic well being and health but also puts the overall achievement of the MDGs at risk

MDG 1- Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger– 70 percent of 1.3 billion people living below the poverty line in the

developing world, are women.– Less than 15% land owned by women

MDG 2- Achieve universal primary education– In 2007 girls accounted for 54 percent of the world’s out-of-school

population and they are walking further now, to collect water

MDG 4 - Reduce Child Mortality– Maternal malnutrition likely to be a continuing and high risk

Source: Climate change vulnerability, Impacts and Adaptation: Why does Gender Matter? Fatma Denton. Climate change vulnerability, impacts, and adaptation: why does ... UNDP Millennium Development Goals Report 2009. http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/

Climate Change, Women’s Health and MDGs

MDG 5 - Improve maternal health– 80 percent of female labour force in developing world are in

vulnerable employment– Extreme weather events affect women more

MDG 6 - Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other disease– A risk of falling incomes from farming and labour driving women into

sex work

MDG 7 (Ensure environmental sustainability) & MDG 8 (Develop a global partnership for development) require full participation of women.

-- Identity, well-being and way of life of indigenous women at risk

MDG 3 - Promoting gender equality and empowering womenIs a crucially important means to achieving all other MDGsSource: Climate change vulnerability, Impacts and Adaptation: Why does Gender Matter? Fatma Denton. Climate change vulnerability, impacts, and adaptation: why does ... UNDP Millennium Development Goals Report 2009. http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/ http://oxfam.ca/our-work/campaigns/women-and-climate-changeThe Carton Girls: The impact of climate change on young women of Cebu. MCA Gonzalez. Univ of Santo Tomas. 4 th Asia Pacific Conference on Public Health Nov 2013

The way forward

Women have the knowledge and skills to adapt to climate change and poverty reduction

– They need the power, tools and resources to translate knowledge into action

Increase women’s participation in decision making processes

– Use women’s strong body of traditional knowledge

– In the islands of Micronesia, women’s unique knowledge of the island’s hydrology, enabled them to find water during a drought period

Source: UNFPA State of the World Population 2009. http://www.unfpa.org/swp/ Oxfam International Rethinking disasters. 2008. Rethinking Disasters Cover Page UNDP Resource Guide on Gender and Climate Change. GENDER AND CLIMATE CHANGEAnderson, C. (2002). Gender Matters: implications for climate variability and climate change and for disaster management in the Pacific islands. http://www.gencc. interconnection.org/resources.htm

Prabu MJ. Prudent water management practises ensure self-suficiency. The Hindu. 16 Feb 2012. Available at: http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/agriculture/article2896668.ece

The way forward…Strengthen women’s role in community

leadership

– Women more likely to volunteer for disaster management projects and build and maintain social networks for community resilience

– A report on deforestation in 61 nations between 1990 and 2005 found that countries with large and numerous women’s non-governmental organisations showed significantly lower levels of forest loss

– Took charge of monitoring early warning systems for hurricanes in La Masica, Honduras – 1991

Source: UNFPA State of the World Population 2009. http://www.unfpa.org/swp/UNDP Millennium Development Goals Report 2009. http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/

Robert Engelman. The State of World Population 2009.United Nations Population Fund. 2009

The way forward…Empower women to bring a better understanding of

population dynamics, gender and reproductive health to climate change discussions

Higher levels of educational attainment and their impact on reducing fertility are directly proportional to the number of years of schooling completed

Responding to the unmet need for family planningand supporting girls’ education

-are much less costly than low-carbon energy development options

- may contribute to a substantial reduction in carbon emissions

Source: wi/UNDP Millennium Development Goals Report 2009. htt://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/ Ramdas K. “What’s Good for Women is Good for the Planet.” Accessed from http://www.realizingrights.org/images/climate/Whats%20Good%20For%20Women.pdf on November 21, 2010. cited in: Roberts A, Imanguli N, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of Women and Youth in the Context of Climate Change. Advocates for Youth. 2010.

Robert Engelman. The State of World Population 2009.United Nations Population Fund. 2009

What’s good for women is good for the planet

Women leading the way to a more sustainable world– Recognise that women are powerful agents of change

– ‘Just 16 percent of the scientists contributing to the work of the IPCC are women’

– Women’s political representation is slowly growing but not fast enough

‘Women deserve more agency and social power to help minimise the impacts of climate change’

Source: wi/UNDP Millennium Development Goals 2009. http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/Hunter LM, Hatch A, Johnson A. Cross-National Gender Variation in Environmental Behaviors. Social Science Quaterly 2004; 85: 677-694Ramdas K. “What’s Good for Women is Good for the Planet.” Accessed from http://www.realizingrights.orghttp://oxfam.ca/our-work/campaigns/women-and-climate-change