On Earth Day and Every Day, We Need to Focus on the Intersection of Gender Data and the Environment

Apr 22, 2020 | Elizabeth Black
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The effects of climate change are widespread, but not all are well-known. Nowhere is this clearer than in the lack of gender data on how exactly women and girls are affected by climate change and environmental stress—and how they are involved in and leading on climate change adaptation and mitigation.

We know now that climate change is discriminatory; it both causes and reinforces poverty for many of the world’s most vulnerable communities. These communities are disproportionately impacted by adverse effects of climate change such as flood or drought-related food insecurity, forced migration, and public health challenges due to air pollution, lack of clean water, and poor sanitation. Making up 70% of the world’s poor, women represent an enormous proportion of those unduly affected by climate and environmental changes. And yet, the world’s data fails to represent their unique experiences and needs.