BaCCC/Video Summaries/Why Gender Matters for Effective Adaptation to Climate Change

Video Summary

Why Gender Matters for Effective Adaptation to Climate Change (3:30)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luO8phhdfsA

• Adaptation to climate change is the process of building the resilience of communities, ecosystems and economies to these impacts, and it requires action at all levels, from individuals, governments and the international community.
• For adaptation to be effective, we must recognise that the impacts of climate change affect different people in different ways, and how they are affected depends on where they live, how they earn their livelihoods and even their gender.
• Women and non-binary people are often at a disadvantage due to norms, traditions and policies that perpetuate gender inequality.
• A gender-responsive approach is intersectional, recognising that people have multiple identities that shape their experiences.
• A gender-responsive approach focuses on three things: who matters, who decides and who benefits.
• Everyone matters when it comes to managing the impacts of climate change, meaning that adaptation must be designed to meet different needs considering people’s gender and social status.
• When we consider who decides, we must think about who is typically excluded from planning and decision-making.
• A gender-responsive approach brings diverse voices to the table, recognising the value of their knowledge and their potential as agents of change.
• Adaptation is effective when it is equitable and provides opportunities and benefits for all people.
• A gender-responsive approach to adaptation is the only way we can build families, communities and societies that are resilient to the impacts of climate change.