Climate Change Impacts Women's Lives Around the World

Apr 22, 2021 | Sammy Luffy and Samhita Rao
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Climate change impacts everyone on the planet. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has placed additional stress on our communities and our economies, making both increasingly brittle with each passing day. Women and girls in low- and middle-income countries already face stigma and discrimination — and the global climate crisis furthers this by having immediate and long-lasting impacts on their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). SRHR includes the rights of all individuals to enjoy overall well-being in relation to all aspects of one’s sexuality and reproduction, including the right to have safe and pleasurable sexual relationships, make autonomous decisions regarding one’s body, and access the services that support that right. A report by Women Deliver, published earlier this year, found that those who are disproportionately impacted by climate change and its effects are the same populations that already experience limited access to SRHR services. Why is that? The relationship between SRHR and climate change is largely unexamined and misunderstood. But it need not be.