Women Underrepresented at COP27 Summit

Nov 18, 2022 | Caroline Kapp
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Advocates have expressed concern that women are underrepresented at the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference—or COP27—in Egypt this month. In 2011, countries pledged to increase women’s participation in the talks. But an analysis by the BBC found that less than 34 percent of country team negotiators are female, falling from a high of 40 percent in 2018; some teams are more than 90 percent male. This is problematic because climate change disproportionately impacts girls and women. The UN has estimated that approximately 80 percent of climate refugees are female. In the face of climate induced instability, girls drop out of school and marry earlier, instances of gender-based violence increase, and women must take greater risks to secure fuel, food, and water for their families. But women have taken the lead on one of COP27’s most contentious and challenging issues: climate reparations. Chilean Environment Minister Maisa Rojas and German special climate envoy Jennifer Morgan crafted a deal to get the issue on the summit’s agenda for the first time. “When women are in the room they create solutions that are proven to be more sustainable,” Sophie Rigg, senior climate advisor at ActionAid, said.