Has Anything Changed?

Though both COP26 and COP27 have seen various initiatives—from travel funds to mentorship networks to enhance women’s participation in climate action—overall progress remains inconsistent and slow as richer countries tend to fall short of their financial promises.

Written by Hillary Essien

Nov 17, 2022

Photography by Indigenous Climate Action/FLICKR

Women are often excluded from discussions around climate and the environment despite being at the center of climate change. They have less access to land, credit, agricultural inputs, decision-making systems, technology, and training that would allow them to adapt to climate change.

‘Women are increasingly being seen as more vulnerable than men to the impacts of climate change, mainly because they represent the majority of the world’s poor and are proportionally more dependent on threatened natural resources,’ the United Nations has said.

Each year, the global community gathers to discuss the rapidly warming planet and what governments and companies can do to reduce contributing factors and mitigate loss.

The United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, commonly referred to as COP, sees strategies, initiatives, and programs floated to address the impact of climate change globally.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) maintains the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting warming to within 1.5℃ of pre-industrial temperatures. It argues that crossing the 1.5°C threshold poses a grave threat to people, wildlife, and ecosystems. The agreement also covers providing funds to low-income countries to help them adapt to climate change; and to review countries’ national climate plans every five years.

At these events, discussions are set in motion by governments of states bound to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The gender concerns are two-fold: adequate female representation at the summit and commitments put forth by state and non-state actors.

A 2022 report from Women’s Environment & Development Organization (WEDO) notes that at these summits, it is largely male dominated. The report remarked that the percentage of women across all national delegations had risen from 30 per cent in 2009 to 38 per cent in 2021, despite policy commitments and activities to promote equal participation. According to the report:

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About the Author

Hillary Essien

was a Senior Associate Editor at The Republic.

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Has Anything Changed?