Climate change
Of hope and resilience. By Takudzwa Pongweni
ical in making sure that … health outcomes are realised,” she said.
“You have practice. You have policy. You need to operationalise that policy through law and it needs to be direct. It needs to be visible, it needs to be meaningful and, more importantly, justiciable,” she said.
Araba said he has concerns about the strength and success of policy as a tool.
“I have seen, especially in my time in government and the government of Nigeria, how policies targeted at bridging gender equity and equality succeeded, but in a short span of time [were] unbundled with the stroke of a pen,” he said.
Araba said the climate change crisis is also a food crisis and a nutrition crisis, which disproportionately affects women.
“As the concentration of CO₂ levels are increasing, the ability of a crop to absorb nutrients from the soil reduces. So, as CO₂ concentration increases, we have less nutritious crops.
“If we consume less nutritious crops, it means our bodies are taking on fewer nutrients,” he said.
Women-led solutions
Communities are taking measures to address climate-related challenges, Swaminathan said. She gave the example of women living in low-income housing in Rajasthan, India, who paint their roofs with reflective paint, which considerably reduces the temperature inside the homes.
“It has been shown by research that, giving the same set of resources to men and women, women actually use it better and they use it more for societal impact and community impact.”
Before the panel discussion, Zuhura Ahmad, a Tanzanian climate activist, gave a spotlight talk, highlighting how women are leading innovative ventures to shape climate action in Tanzania.
Ahmad is the head of programmes at the Women in Recycling Foundation, which seeks to empower women, promote environmental sustainability and contribute to climate resilience through effective waste management and recycling practices.
She spoke of seaweed farming, which is the third-largest export industry in Tanzania and employs more than 25,000 farmers, 80% of whom are women.
“Women have risen as leaders in the fight despite being marginalised. The seaweed farmers along the coast cultivate not just seaweed, but hope,” she said.
“These stories of resilience are not isolated. They represent a growing movement where women’s leadership in climate action is creating waves of change.
“Support the policies, fund the projects and sponsor the projects that support women at the forefront of climate action.”