Gender and Climate Change Essay

This piece of academic writing is aimed at discussing the recognition that women and men experience climate change differently and that gender inequalities worsen women’s coping capacity. Therefore, questions such as; “Do people have similar or equal conditions in which to address and adapt to climate change? Do they have the same skills and capabilities to confront it? Will the consequences of climate change affect all people equally?” will be answered. The essay will also acknowledge the role of women as important actors of change and holders of significant amount of knowledge and skills related to mitigation, adaptation and the reduction of risks in the face of climate change. According to World Health Organization (2010), Climate change refers to any long-term change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns, whether in terms of changes in average conditions such as more/less rainfall, higher/lower temperatures, or in the distribution of events around the average, in other words, extreme weather events such as floods or droughts. Generally, the term is used for any change in climate over time, regardless of cause. Detrimental effects of climate change can be felt in the short-term through natural hazards, such as landslides, floods and hurricanes; and in the long-term, through more gradual degradation of the environment. The adverse effects of these events are already felt in many areas, including in relation to, inter alia, agriculture and food security; biodiversity and ecosystems; water resources; human health; human settlements and migration patterns; and energy, transport and industry. Dankelman (2010) defines term “gender” as socially ascribed roles, responsibilities and opportunities associated with women and men, as well as the hidden power structures that govern relationships between them. Gender is “in essence, a term used to emphasize that sex inequality is not caused by the anatomic and physiological differences that characterize men