Climate change is one of the defining issues of our times. During the 66th Session of the Commission on Status of Women (CSW), the Pakistani delegate highlighted the role of women to deal with the climate challenges. The Commission on the Status of Women is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. The priority theme for this year’s deliberations is, ‘Climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies, and programs: advancing gender equality through holistic and integrated actions from global to local”. While talking to the commission, Pakistani delegates told, “Our climate policies are paying attention to the plight of women and gender differentials that emerge from climate change and the vastly different experiences men and women have as workers, breadwinners, caregivers, patients, and parents, adding that the phenomenon affects all states, peoples, and communities through climate-induced stress. There is a growing body of evidence showing that women are generally more vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change than their male counterparts. “There’s a solid base of evidence showing that women are disproportionately vulnerable to climate change, not because there is something inherently vulnerable about women, but because of socio-cultural structures that deprive women of access to resources, decision-making, information, agency, etc. A new study says, efforts to tackle gender inequality can play a key role in how countries adapt to the growing risks posed by climate change. Despite women being disproportionately affected by climate change, they play a crucial role in climate change adaptation and mitigation. Women have the knowledge and understanding of what is needed to adapt to changing environmental conditions and to come up with practical solutions. Social equity is an integral component of effective climate action. As socioeconomic pathways are widely used in the climate community, that could be a good way to tie in gender inequality with climate change.
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