Women and Girls More Vulnerable to Climate Change Points a UN Report

The recently released report “The Gender Snapshot 2025” by UN Women–UN DESA highlights the escalating impact of climate change on gender equality, warning that environmental crises are deepening poverty, food insecurity, and inequalities for women and girls worldwide.

The report points out that climate change could push 158 million more women into poverty by 2050, disproportionately affecting those in rural and low-income regions who depend on agriculture and natural resources for livelihoods. Nearly half of these women could reside in sub-Saharan Africa.

Women face greater exposure to climate and environmental shocks, particularly in terms of water scarcity, disaster displacement, and food insecurity. In 2024, about 64 million more women than men were food insecure, partly due to climate-induced agricultural stress.

The report links climate change, conflict, and digital inequity as overlapping crises that threaten to undo decades of progress on women’s rights and development.

Gender inequality in resource rights limits women’s ability to adapt, for example, through restricted land ownership, limited access to clean energy, and exclusion from climate finance participation.

The lack of gender-responsive climate policies has made women more vulnerable to heat stress, loss of subsistence income, and migration pressures. Issues like water scarcity and poor sanitation systems have severe, gendered consequences, with women and girls facing the brunt.

In climate-prone regions, the intersection of drought, floods, and poor water governance has led to livelihood losses for rural women reliant on agriculture and increased displacement due to degraded ecosystems.

The Gender Snapshot 2025 report also recommends integrating gender justice into national climate policies (e.g., the Paris Agreement and NDCs) by involving women in decision-making roles.

Strengthening climate-resilient livelihoods and access to green jobs, renewable energy, and water security initiatives for women and girls will also help in reducing inequalities. Adopt inclusive disaster preparedness frameworks that prioritise women’s safety, reproductive health, and caregiving roles during crises.

Furthermore, investments in data and financing mechanisms that track the impact of climate change on gender inequality and ensure climate funds are distributed equitably.

The report situates climate change under SDG 13 (Climate Action) but underscores its cascading influence across poverty (SDG 1), food security (SDG 2), health (SDG 3), and gender equality (SDG 5).

It warns that without urgent gender-responsive climate action, global development goals risk severe regression, leaving millions of women and girls trapped in compounding cycles of vulnerability, unpaid labour, and environmental risk.