Woman’s Equity Day and our Environment

Dr N Munal Meitei
Contd from previous issue
According to UN Environment, 80% of the people displaced by climate change are women and girls facing heightened risks of poverty, violence or unintended pregnancies as they migrate to safer locations.
Additionally, women are affected by compromised access to clean air, water and sanitation facilities. Climate crisis affect women’s health with preterm birth, low birth weight and poorer maternal health and complicates during pregnancy and at delivery.
At the same time, it affects menopausal systems and increases prenatal maternal stress, while heavy metals in breast milk have been associated with abnormal immune function in newborns with many disorders in their later life.
The nature of the impact on women’s health from climate change may vary, even within the same country. Therefore the women’s reproductive health should be included in countries’ climate action plans as well as into climate disaster relief. Access to family planning is one of the cornerstones of gender equality as it has a positive impact not only on individuals, but also in the development of societies.
Women account for a large proportion of the more than 4 million deaths a year from in-door air pollution. Environmental degradation can also lead to increased gender-based violence. On the other hand, women’s economic, social and political empowerment can help accelerate action on climate, environmental protection and conservation.
Women’s participation in environmental decision-making is important for advancing both gender equality and environmental action. The presence of women in political decision-making is linked to more ambitious climate goals and policies.
In civil society, women around the world are creating powerful networks to combat environmental degradation and tackle climate-related inequalities. Despite these benefits, significant gender gaps in environmental leadership persist across countries and sectors; with some of the widest occurring in countries especially vulnerable to climate change has impacted most.
Regardless of where you live in, women’s equality is a fundamental human right. This day is an important journey towards gender parity and serves as a reminder to protect the environment with some major steps of achieving women’s equality.
The writer is an Environmentalist and can be reached at [email protected]