Urban Observatory
Elsa Ivette Jiménez *
Second of two parts
Climate Change (CC) contributes to increasing inequalities, including gender. To analyze separately the effects of climate change for men and women, emerge the presence of increased vulnerability of these, and the need to recognize them as strategic actors in the development of policies and practices to mitigate and adapt to them.
CC effects are pernicious and have implications for the social, environmental and economic. Some experts warn of a possible collapse of the levels current production and consumption as climate change leads to less food, clean water and increase in extreme weather conditions (UNDP, 2011).
Here, it is necessary to analyze the way in which these situations specifically affect women due to cultural constructions, social and political determinants of these less access to resources, in addition to their confinement to certain areas and roles that, taken together, mean higher workloads, increased disparities of all kinds in relation to males and even greater threat to their physical well-being and survival.
may seem exaggerated the above statement, but to review the situation facing women around the world, is that it is these who make up 70 percent of the population in poverty, expanding their vulnerability. Reviewing the situation of women in rural and marginal urban households, shows that they are the ones responsible for managing water resources and fuelwood for households, so that changes to access these goods impact their lives and schedules. The same is true in terms of food resources. It also happens that those who live in homes located in high risk are single mothers or married women who go there most of the day and are at higher risk to a catastrophe.
are also women who face greater threats of perishing due to cyclones or floods, they have less access to media, either because they are written, they have lower levels of schooling, because they are segregated from areas where they provide alarms, because they can not swim, or because the clothes and shoes that hinder the movement used. All these are factors eminently cultural origin. In addition, in emergency situations are at risk of physical and sexual violence in shelters or on the move. This situation also occurs in conditions of conflict, which are expected to rise due to shortage natural resources. Despite
risk circumstances faced by women and should be considered, studied and turned into public policies for their protection, the role of the female face of climate change is not only a victim, but also a potential agent in the development strategies to cope with the CC
This is because women have knowledge and skills invaluable in the development and implementation of strategies for adaptation and mitigation of CC This derived from his current position as educators, natural resource managers, within from their homes, and as the growers of bonds and social networks.
Moreover, the inclusion of the perspective of women in developing policies and programs to confront the effects of climate change emerges as a situation of social justice, where this "other" half the human population must have access to information, media, technology and power to manage the development and thereby improve the future of humanity.
* Research Assistant of the Centre for Development Studies at El Colegio de Sonora. Email: ejimenez@colson.edu.mx
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