Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1470553
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 JUNE 2022 13 OPINION Gender equality in climate change CLIMATE change has sparked quite a heated debate in the past decade. Its impact is taking a heavy toll on economies and live- lihoods. Climate change can be defined as "a statistically signifi- cant variation in either the mean state of the climate or its varia- bility, persisting for an extend- ed period (typically decades or longer)." For instance, humans are contributing to global warm- ing by burning fossil fuels and cutting down forests. "This adds enormous amounts of green- house gases to those naturally occurring in the atmosphere, increasing the greenhouse effect and global warming." Climate change affects women and men differently. Economic disparities lead to differences in the capacity to cope with, and to mitigate, climate change. Wom- en's salaries and assets are lower. Thus, women are disadvantaged if expensive adaptation and mit- igation measures are required. In fact, men are more likely to instal equipment at home to control and reduce energy consumption, such as smart meters. The health impacts of climate change can differ between wom- en and men for biological and social reasons. For example, "the majority of European stud- ies have shown that women are more at risk, in both relative and absolute terms, of dying in heat- waves". The consumption pat- terns of women and men are dif- ferent, resulting in more or less energy-intense lifestyles, and in differentiated attitudes/percep- tions, based on different value. For example, women make more use of public transport when compared to men. Women are more likely to buy and eat more organic food, and to consider the carbon footprint of their food purchases and adapt their shop- ping accordingly. Moreover, men are dominant in decision-making sectors related to climate. Indeed, women re- main under-represented among the highest-ranking civil servants in ministries with competences in environment, transport, and energy. According to EU policy, the best strategy to address the dif- ferent impact of climate change is through gender mainstreaming. Since women and men have dif- ferent needs, priorities, and pos- sibilities of mitigating the effects of climate change, it is critical to adopt a gender equality perspec- tive in decision-making process- es at all levels. Ensuring the active participation of women in the de- velopment of funding criteria and the allocation of resources for cli- mate change initiatives, incorpo- rating a gender perspective into national policies/actions/plans, and ensuring that technological developments consider the pri- orities/needs/roles of women, as well as their knowledge/exper- tise, are all examples of gender mainstreaming actions. According to the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) Gender Equality and Cli- mate Change Report, the lack of knowledge base and resistance towards the integration of a gen- der perspective in climate change mitigation policies are identified as obstacles to a successful in- tegration of the gender equality agenda and the climate change agenda. Moreover, an institutional sur- vey carried out by the United Na- tions Environment Programme (UNEP) in 2006 on gender main- streaming in environmental pol- icies, found that even if gender equality policies were in place and applied according to the environ- mental sector, the lack of finan- cial resources, lack of awareness on gender and the environment, lack of understanding and clari- ty on the relevance of gender to environmental work, lack of in- stitutional capacity and expertise on the subject, limited gender-re- lated institutional structures, and limited female participation would still act as barriers. To this end, gender equality and climate change are being given increased prominence on the national, EU, and international agendas due to their impact and consequences on the daily lives of men and women in society. Understanding and effectively taking the gendered dimension of climate change into account is key for achieving sustainable de- velopment and the UN Sustaina- ble Development Goals (SDGs). In 2021, the 26th United Na- tions Climate Change Confer- ence, more commonly referred to as COP26, was held at the SEC Centre in Glasgow, Scotland, between the 31st October and 12th November 2021. This Con- ference was an opportunity for different stakeholders to discuss climate action including the dis- proportionate impact of climate change on women and girls. In addition to the Gender Equal- ity Strategy 2020-2025 goals, at the European level, the European Commission is committed to in- clude a gender perspective in all its major initiatives responding to European challenges such as cli- mate change. Since 2011, the Eu- ropean Parliament has also pro- duced a number of resolutions that address climate change from a gender perspective. For in- stance, the European Parliament Resolution of 20 April 2012 on women and climate change ad- dresses the connections between gender and climate change. In Malta, in 2010, Prof. Simone Borg was appointed Malta's Am- bassador for Climate Action. She chairs the Climate Action Board, which is responsible for mon- itoring the implementation of climate action targets within the public sector and promoting ini- tiatives within the private sector in Malta. Moreover, both female and male social partners work closely with the Government and Malta's Ambassador for Climate Action in stakeholder dialogue meetings to implement climate action. It is high time to fully integrate efforts to address both gender equality and climate change. We all need to pull together to create a better environment, not just locally but also on a global level because the lack of action of one country will negatively affect the whole world. As a society, we can all step up our efforts, both col- lectively and individually, to tack- le the climate crisis as the long- term price to our health and the environment is too high. The importance of tackling cli- mate change has been distinctly recognised by young people. In fact, the role of young women has been remarkable in leading the push for change. Greta Thunberg became known when she was 15 years old after challenging world leaders to take action for climate change mitigation. Her small campaign had a glob- al effect, inspiring other young people worldwide to organise their protests. By December 2018, more than 20,000 students from the UK to Japan joined her campaign. In 2019, Thunberg received the first of three Nobel Peace Prize nominations for cli- mate activism. The contribution of both wom- en and men of all ages in the de- velopment, implementation, and monitoring of gender-responsive policies related to climate change must also be ensured so that women and men have an active role and leadership in developing a holistic strategy with the hope of achieving the best results. Renée Laiviera is executive chairperson National Commission for the Promotion of Equality Renée Laiviera