By Melba Mhondera
1.0 introduction
The effects of climate change are severe for everyone, but marginalized groups, particularly women and children, are particularly affected. Uneven ownership of natural resources like land, water, and productive assets, as well as unequal decision-making, are the results of social and cultural structures and norms that are discriminatory. This restricts women’s opportunities to benefit from environmental policies and programs, contribute to them, and participate in them. Climate change is a global problem that has affected many lives and livelihoods; However, UN Women (2014) suggests that children and women are disproportionately affected. This article seeks to review and to provides insights into how climate change is affecting women and girls in Zimbabwe and to pose possible solutions.
2 .0 Definition of climate change
Climate change has been defined in several ways by different scholars but all definitions mean the same. According to Mike Climate change refers to significant changes in global temperature precipitation, wind patterns, and other measures of climate that occur over several decades or longer. According to Dr. Margaret 2015, climate change refers to any change in climate over time, whether due to natural variability or as a result of human activity.
3.0Positive effects of climate change on women
3.1 Lead to the access of information
Although climate change has a great negative impact on the lives of women and girls on the other hand it has opened a good platform for women to have access to information. Taking for instant some of the women had no access to information but it has opened many platforms for example
women are now becoming digitally literate. According to Groce 2016, As more women enter positions of authority that have been traditionally dominated by men, systematically different choices are often made. For instance, having more women in positions of political authority is associated with lower national carbon footprints or more protected land. Additionally, countries with a greater proportion of female parliamentarians are more likely to ratify environmental treaties. When women represent a greater share of a corporate board, the firm is more likely to disclose information on carbon emissions
3.2 Created better positions for women in leadership positions
Climate change created a strong platform for women to increase the representation of other women in climate policymaking leading to improved environmental outcomes, which are likely to benefit women, providing some evidence for the importance of the role of gender in policy activities
3.3 Lead to the access of gendered resources
Cropping decisions are also impacted by the ability of women and men to secure access to capital and agricultural resources. Around the world, women tend to have less access than men to cash and credit. Women are also less likely to have access to tools, seeds, and fertilizer, as well as high-quality water supplies, all of which increase women’s vulnerability to the effects of climate change. Taking for an instant in the Nyanyadzi area due to climate change women were introduced to the facilities of the irrigational system whereby they’re now practicing seasonal farming.
4.0 Negative Effects of climate change on Women
4.1Increased risk of gender violence against women and girls
Women’s homes and neighborhoods may become inhabitable as a result of climate change-related events, including droughts and hurricanes, and cyclones, as well as disasters with a more rapid onset like droughts. As a result, women and girls may be forced to migrate to camps for displaced people, where they may be exposed to violence from strangers by living under bare plastic sheets or temporary tarps. According to Munyawiri 2014, Climate change-related disasters are also associated with increases in gender-based violence.
4.2Increased risk of child marriages
Girls may be more susceptible than usual to child marriage when disaster strikes. They are viewed as an additional burden during times of crisis in some places. Child marriage can be seen as a way out of or at least a way to lessen the effects of crippling poverty for poor families that have lost their homes and livelihoods. It can also be seen as a way to protect daughters from violence. Climate change disruptions, for instance when cyclone idal hit part of Zimbabwe a lot of young girls were married, because they had lost their parents and as a way to reduce the burden within their families. According to UNFPA 20 May 2022 Climate change and other environmental crises are creating a context that is putting many children across the world at greater risk of child marriages.
4.3 Climate change and the disabilities
It is important to note that climate has an impact on all aspects of human life .lt also has differential impacts on groups especially on people living with disabilities, these impacts range from community to household level. People with disabilities are often amongst the poorest in any society. According to Groce 2011, people with disabilities constitute a large proportion of every population, they also constitute a segment of the population that too often faces discrimination and exclusion, leading to challenges in gaining access to the same opportunities as the rest of the population.
5.0 Recommendations
5.1Improving women’s adaptation to climate change
Despite their vulnerability, women are not only seen as victims of climate change but they can also be seen as active and effective agents and promoters of adaptation and mitigation. For a long time, women have historically developed knowledge and skills related to water harvesting and storage, food preservation and rationing, and natural resource management. In Africa, for example, old women represent wisdom pools with their inherited knowledge and expertise related to early warnings and mitigating the impacts of disasters. This knowledge and experience that has passed from one generation to another will be able to contribute effectively to enhancing local adaptive capacity and sustaining a community’s livelihood. For this to be achieved, and to improve the adaptive capacity of women worldwide, particularly in developing countries, the following recommendations need to be. According to UNDP/GGCA(2012) When it comes to building climate resilience in communities, involving women is crucial. The UN reports that communities are more successful in resilience and capacity-building strategies when women are part of the planning process. Additionally, women are usually first responders in community responses to natural disasters, leaders in disaster risk reduction, and contribute to post-recovery by addressing the early recovery needs of their families and strengthening community building.
5.2lnvovement of women in the budget of climate action
Women’s priorities and needs must be reflected in the development planning and funding. Women should be part of the decision-making at national and local levels regarding the allocation of resources for climate change initiatives. It is also important to ensure gender-sensitive investments in programs for adaptation, mitigation, technology transfer, and capacity building. Taking for an instant the local authorities and the government must also budget funds to do for women since climate change has become a cancerous issue in Africa. According to Global Gender and Climate Alliance government and local authorities should ensure that financing mechanisms for mitigation and adaptation address the needs of poor women and men equitably.
5.3To generate funding from the civil organizations
Funding organizations and donors should also take into account women-specific circumstances when developing and introducing technologies related to climate change adaptation and try their best to remove the economic, social, and cultural barriers that could constrain women from benefiting and making use of them. Involving women in the development of new technologies can ensure that they are adaptive, appropriate, and sustainable. At national levels, efforts should be made to mainstream gender perspectives into national policies and strategies, as well as related sustainable development and climate change plans and interventions.
6.0 Conclusion
In conclusion, adapting to climate change can result in opportunities for women to access more resources and participate in decision-making due to shifting gender norms, which is why taking a gender-responsive approach to developing climate policy is crucial. Furthermore, it has been shown that inclusive governance, promoted by international bodies and national governments, can result in long-lasting and effective climate-resilient policies that lead to improved social equity in general, and gender equality specifically, through the integration of more women and marginalized groups into decision-making.
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