Journey of Hope - Fall 2021 | Page 31

Poverty and other economic , social , and cultural factors act to heighten their vulnerability to climate change impacts . At the same time , they have far less access than men to the resources , knowledge , and decision-making that would help them to recover and adapt .
For example , when disasters like flash flooding or typhoons occur , women and girls are far more likely to be killed or displaced . Females living in displacement camps also face a heightened risk of sexual exploitation and abuse .
In the case of long-term disasters like droughts , socio-cultural norms and childcare responsibilities can prevent women from migrating to urban areas to seek assistance or find jobs . When food is scarce , mothers often forgo meals so that the males and small children can eat . They must also travel greater distances to get water , increasing the risk of gender-based violence .
Climate-related disasters have also been shown to contribute to a rise in early childhood marriages by exacerbating poverty and incentivizing families to marry off young daughters . Girls are also more likely than boys to drop out of school when their families are facing environmental crises .
The same social , economic , and cultural factors that make women and girls more vulnerable to extreme weather often prevent them from participating in solutions . iii Because women in the remote communities CAI serves are often illiterate and lack resources , they are less equipped to adapt to climate change . And because they aren ’ t included in decision-making and planning processes , they are unable to participate in devising climate solutions .
The good news is that research shows that educating women and girls may be one of the best ways to overcome these problems . Education not only opens the door to more opportunities , it also allows women to be better stewards of the environment while building their resilience to extreme weather and the impacts of climate change .
Education provides a pathway for putting women and girls at the forefront of climate change solutions .
In addition , education plays an important role in promoting female reproductive health and rights . Studies show that women who are educated have healthier births and greater control over their bodies . They can better decide when to have children and how many to have . According to Project Drawdown , a nonprofit organization that works on climate solutions and research , “ Estimates suggest that together with family planning , girls ’ education has the potential of avoiding nearly 85 gigatons of carbon emissions by 2050 .” iv That ’ s a big reduction considering that in 2020 , global carbon emissions from fossil fuels were 9.3 gigatons . v In fact , Project Drawdown includes girls ’ education as one of the top 10 strategies for combating global warming .
Another factor supporting girls ’ education as an effective strategy for addressing climate change is that women have been shown to make excellent environmental leaders . Studies have linked female leadership , which obviously requires education , to better environmental policies and decreased climate pollution .
When looking to the future , it ' s also critical to ensure that girls and women get the education , training , and skills they need to prepare themselves for green jobs in the new green economy . This will require not only enabling girls to participate in STEM ( science , technology , engineering , and math ) education , but also developing their empowerment skills and helping them actively participate in decisions affecting the societies in which they live . vi
In short , without the participation of women and girls , we have little hope of minimizing the worst effects of climate change .
In the countries where CAI works , access to quality education is limited , especially for girls . Afghanistan and Pakistan have some of the highest rates of outof-school children in the world , and the majority of them are girls . In Tajikistan , girls tend to drop out before reaching high school at a higher rate than boys , and fewer girls complete their secondary education and attend university .
With the support of our dedicated donors , CAI is working to increase girls ’ and women ’ s access to quality education . But making educational opportunities available to girls and women serves a much broader purpose . For girls and women , education is key to unlocking their full potential . It empowers them to thrive . And when girls and women thrive , so do their families , communities , and countries .
We know that tackling climate change can seem like a huge , unsolvable challenge . Yet we know that advancing girls ’ education is a proven strategy for helping to solve many of the world ’ s other , seemingly unsolvable problems – such as poverty , poor health , and insecurity . The same holds true for humankind ' s greatest challenge – climate change . We know , as you do , that when you educate a girl , you truly are changing the world ! Y
i . McCarthy , J . ( 2020 , March 5 ). Change Impacts Women More Than Men . In Global Citizen .
United Nations . ( 2021 , August 16 ). Five ways climate change hurts women and girls . In United Nations Population Fund .
ii . Policy Brief : Melting Glaciers , Threatened Livelihoods : Confronting Climate Change to Save the Third Pole ( 2021 , June ). In UNDP .
iii . Osman-Elasha , B . ( 2013 ). Women ... In The Shadow of Climate Change . In UN Chronicle .
iv . Hawken , P . ( 2017 ). Drawdown : The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming .
v . Mkitarian , J . ( 2020 , December ). 2020 Global Carbon Budget . In Global Ocean Monitoring and Observation . https :// globalocean . noaa . gov / News / 2020-global-carbon-budget-released-1
vi . Kwauk , C . ( 2021 , February ). Why is girls ’ education important for climate action ? In Brookings .
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