Climate change and reproductive justice
Climate change is one of the defining crises of our time, and people’s sexual and reproductive health and rights are affected by this crisis. The effects of climate change amount to a global public health, economic, humanitarian and gender equality catastrophe.
The effects of climate change exacerbate social inequalities, including gender inequalities, and mainly affect women and people with more vulnerable capacities -such as girls, indigenous, rural, Afro-descendant, poor, and those with low levels of schooling- in multiple and intersectional forms of discrimination.
Climate change
Climate change refers to long-term changes in temperatures and weather patterns that may be natural or due to human activities. These processes alter the composition of the atmosphere. In other words, damage to the territory that generates desertification, water scarcity, fires, floods, melting of glaciers, droughts, among others.
Communities are increasingly faced with the need to prepare for and respond to growing climate emergencies to mitigate the effects on their populations.
Climate phenomena such as drought and desertification are causing civil unrest and migration. The United Nations Environment Program estimates that 80% of the people displaced by climate change are women.
In addition, sexual and reproductive health services are often “invisible” compared to emergency food and medicines in humanitarian relief efforts and crisis situations, yet services such as contraception and abortion are also indispensable and sensitive on a par.
"Climate change directly affects women's reproductive health. There is evidence that air pollution, wildfires, rising global temperatures, flooding, and toxic chemicals have adverse effects on people's fertility and on the health of pregnant women."
Climate Crisis and Health, Statement.
FIGO, 2020
Effect on women, girls and persons with childbearing capacity
Women and girls disproportionately bear the brunt of climate-related phenomena and environmental stress. Women are more vulnerable to the impact of climate change, just to list some of its consequences on this population:
- There is a direct relationship between environmental pressures, gender-based violence and unwanted pregnancies. In addition, in contexts of humanitarian crisis, the need for women, girls and others with childbearing capacity to access sexual and reproductive health care services, such as abortion, increases, but in times of disaster these services are likely to be disrupted.
- The rise of gender-based violence is directly linked to the climate crisis; in many countries, women and girls are responsible for agricultural activities. In a landscape altered by climate change, they are forced to move when these resources are depleted, and the repercussions they suffer in these displacements range from sexual and gender-based violence (and the resulting unwanted pregnancy) to an increased workload.
- Women who remain in humanitarian and emergency or crisis contexts (including the aftermath of natural disasters) are often exposed to rape, harassment, discrimination and violence, and have limited access to reproductive health services.
Climate justice with a gender perspective
Reproductive rights are part of human rights, therefore, the climate crisis must be addressed from a gender equality perspective. The Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda call for integrated solutions that address the underlying inequalities and barriers faced by women and girls, andclimate change policies and programs must be developed through the lens of reproductive justice.
Lack of access to sexual and reproductive health services, such as contraception, safe abortions, maternal health care, and comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) puts people with childbearing capacity at greater risk of contracting diseases due to inequalities in access to health care.
Women, girls, trans men and non-binary people must be key actors in solving the crisis. Their specific needs must be taken into account, from an intersectional perspective.
Solutions must include approaches that improve education, strengthen economic security, and amplify the voices and ideas of women and others with childbearing capacity.
Investments must be made in health to ensure sexual and reproductive rights, as well as in gender equality to increase the climate resilience of women and girls, youth, the most vulnerable communities and health systems.
A path towards reducing the impact of climate change
Given the impacts of climate change on the reproductive health and rights of women, adolescents and girls, Ipas believes that the States of Latin America and the Caribbean must:
Recognize the differential effects on reproductive health and rights as a result of the effects of climate change.
In the face of climate disasters, design comprehensive plans for prevention, preparedness, response, recovery and adaptation with a gender and human rights perspective that consider the prevention of gender-based violence and guarantee the availability of health services and supplies in accordance with sexual and reproductive needs.
Ensure the full, equitable, effective and meaningful participation and leadership of women in decision-making spaces with respect to climate change-related policies.
Ensure investment in gender-sensitive policies and programs on climate change and disaster risk reduction.
Prevent all types of violence, including sexual violence, against women and girls, and ensure the provision of essential services to victims and survivors, in contexts of climate and environmental crises and disasters.
Collect, analyze, disseminate and use data on climate change, environmental and systemic risks and the effects of disasters, including the links between climate change and child marriage, as well as other areas with specific effects on women, adolescents and girls.
Invest in research on the social and gender dimensions of climate change, including those related to sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Want to know more about it?
We invite you to read the research Climate justice, women’s reproductive health and rights in Latin America and the Caribbean, by Ipas Latin America and the Caribbean.
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