Climate crisis hits women, rural poor and older people harder, a new FAO report finds
A new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) paints a concerning picture: climate change is disproportionately impacting the financial well-being of rural women, people living in poverty, and older populations.
Team RuralVoice
A new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) paints a concerning picture: climate change is disproportionately impacting the financial well-being of rural women, people living in poverty, and older populations.
Titled "The Unjust Climate" the report reveals that female-headed households in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are experiencing significant income losses due to climate change. Compared to their male-headed counterparts, they lose 8% more income due to heat stress and 3% more due to floods, translating to yearly losses of $37 billion and $16 billion respectively.
These figures are alarming, and the situation could worsen considerably. The report warns that if average temperatures increase by just 1°C, women could face a staggering 34% greater loss in income compared to men. This highlights the potential for climate change to exacerbate existing gender gaps in agricultural productivity and wages.
The study, which analyzed data from over 100,000 rural households across 24 LMICs, unveils how climate stressors like heat waves and floods impact people differently based on factors like wealth, gender, and age.
Heat stress disproportionately affects poor households, who lose 5% more income than their wealthier counterparts. Extreme temperatures also lead to an increase in child labor and unpaid workload for women in these households.
Young people, however, have an easier time finding off-farm work during extreme weather events, making their incomes less vulnerable.
Climate change forces poor families to resort to desperate measures like selling livestock and reducing income streams, jeopardizing their long-term resilience.
The report emphasizes the need for targeted interventions to empower vulnerable populations to adapt to climate change. This includes investing in policies and programs that address the specific needs of rural communities, such as access to resources and social protection. Additionally, developing approaches that challenge discriminatory norms and empower women, and integrating climate action with efforts to achieve gender equality, are crucial steps.
The FAO highlights its initiatives, such as the Strategy and Action Plan on Climate Change, which aims to achieve "better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life for all."
The report serves as a stark reminder of the urgency to address climate change and its unequal impacts, particularly on vulnerable populations like rural women. By implementing inclusive and equitable adaptation strategies, we can build a more resilient future for all.
