Mainstreaming Climate Change in Gender Programming –

Leisa PerchTeam Leader, Rural and Sustainable Development

IPC-IG/UNDP

organized for UNIFEM Brazil and Southern Cone

The Case for Why?

Overview Statement

Gender inequalities intersect with climate risks and vulnerabilities. Women’s historic disadvantages – their limited access to resources, restricted rights, and a muted voice in shaping decisions – make them highly vulnerable to climate change. The nature of that vulnerability varies widely, cautioning against generalization. But climate change is likely to magnify existing patterns of gender disadvantage (UNDP Human Development Report, 2007).

Scope of Presentation

Some of the basics on climate change Vulnerability, Risk Management/Risk

Reduction Implications of CC for development Why environmental risk is important for

gender and equality programming? Looking at environmental risk through key

sectors Lessons so far Final Thoughts

Inclusive Growth - process and outcome

Inclusive growth is both an outcome and a process. On the one hand, it ensures that everyone can participate

in the growth process, both in terms of decision-making for organising the growth progression as well as in

participating in the growth itself. On the other hand, it makes sure that everyone shares equitably the benefits of growth. Inclusive growth implies participation and benefit-sharing. Participation without benefit sharing will make growth unjust and sharing benefits without participation will make it a welfare outcome (IPC-IG).

Visioning Sustainable Livelihoods

POOR PEOPLE’S ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES

Human, Financial, Social, Natural and Physical assets

POLICIES, INSTITUTIONS AND PROCESSES

Empowerment

AccountabilityDemocracyParticipationSocial MovementsCommunity Organisations

Opportunity

JobsServicesMarkets

VULNERABILITY CONTEXTTrendsShocksSeasonality

Re-drawn from: Environmental Resource Management (2002), “Predicted Impact of Global Climate Change on Poverty and the Sustainable Achievement of the MDGs: Vol. 2”, DFID review, p.10.

The Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF)

LIVELIHOOD OUTCOMESIncomeWell-beingHealthSecurity

Taken from Perch, L., Murray R., Tincani, L.,(2007). Climate Change and Human Development: A policy Review for the Caribbean. Presented at Caribbean Conference on Climate Change. Jamaica. June.

Part I: Some of the basics: ideas, concepts and issues

Global Ecological Footprint

In 2008, global environmental damage estimated at USD 6.6 trillion (UNEP, 2010)

2010 noted as a record for CO2 emissions (IEA, 2011)

Gross World Output in 2011 was over USD 63 trillion

Challenge: Decoupling growth from environmental degradation

Region Average Ecological Footprint

for consumption per capita/per

resident

Sub-Saharan Africa 1.4 gha

Latin America  and the

Caribbean

2.6 gha

Europe 4.7 gha

North America 7.9 gha

Global 2.7 gha per person

Source: Ecological Footprint Atlas (2010)

Ecosystem Wellbeing and Human Wellbeing Interlinked Food security

depends on water and energy;

Water supply and distribution depend on energy and labour; and

Energy can be supplied by water

Source: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, WRI, 2003

GHGs – what is the problem? Contribution to GHGs:

water vapor, which contributes 36–72% carbon dioxide, which contributes 9–26% methane, which contributes 4–9% ozone, which contributes 3–7%

The seven sources of CO2 from fossil fuel combustion are (with percentage contributions for 2000–2004):[26] Solid fuels (e.g., coal): 35% Liquid fuels (e.g., gasoline, fuel oil): 36% Gaseous fuels (e.g., natural gas): 20% Flaring gas industrially and at wells: <1% Cement production: 3% Non-fuel hydrocarbons: < 1% The "international bunkers" of shipping and air transport not

included in national inventories: 4% Source: Wikipedia, 2010

Implications are defined by

RiskVulnerabilitySocial impactsResilienceAdaptative Capacity and ActionMitigative Capacity and Action

Climate Change is Real

Taken from Climate Change and Sustaining Caribbean Tourism by Mareba Scott, CC and Tourism, BVI, 2007

Risk and VulnerabilityRisk – Situational (Disasters)Vulnerability –

Systemic/Structural (Climate Change)

Who is at Risk and Who is Vulnerable?

Vulnerability is a multi-dimensional concept which

encompasses biological, geophysical, economic,

institutional and socio-cultural factors (Nicholls, 1998) and of

resilience or sustainability

Best and Worst Case Scenarios for CC

Best case:a warming between 1.9–5.2 degrees

Fahrenheit and seas rising between 7-14 inches within approximately 100 years

Worst case:a warming of 4.3–11.5 degrees

Fahrenheit and increased sea levels of 10-23 inches

Social Risk and Global Inequality

Poverty and inequality are a significant burden for youth 82 % of disabled people live below the poverty line in

developing countries (UN) Indigenous groups are amongst the poorest of the poor

globally NGOs have increased in importance for and to service

delivery but remain relatively underfunded Every year, 2 million people – mostly women and children –

die as a result of indoor air pollution (UNDP) PLHIV/PLWHA still face significant discrimination in the work

place Racial inequality, income inequality and limited access to

services are still linked in many countries – North and South

Exposure to natural disaster

Nation

(Individual,

Household or

Community)

Social Susceptibility Social Resilience

Measure of social vulnerability

Construct of Social Vulnerability developed by Asha Kambon, 2005

Some implications for BrazilIndications are:

the Amazon rain forest could become dryer, with a possibility of spontaneous fire,

that coral reefs along Brazilian coastlines could suffer from bleaching (with likely impacts for tourism in the long-run)

Changing rainfall patterns, especially in the drought-affected north-eastern region of the country, will mean impact on already limited water and reduce supply even further

Agriculture is likely to suffer, not least due to water shortages and leading to greater food insecurity and malnutrition,

Implications Floods will damage/destabilize public and private infrastructure, cause

significant (Rio and Sao Paolo early 2010, 2011), movement of goods to the coast for export and also the movement from the

coast Less water will impact on renewable energy efforts particularly hydropower Brazil has committed to a reduction of 36-39% below projected levels by

2020

Sourced from Brazil & climate change: a country profile by Emilio Lèbre La Rovere and André Santos Pereira (14 February 2007), SciDevNet – accessed online June 24th, 2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zxp_ePNXdj8&feature=related

Scenarios for Brazil

Period 2000 and 2050 (CEDEPLAR et al., 2008): North expected to experience increased temperatures

twice that of the Northeast and the South Differentiated impacts also in terms of rain fall). North and North-east, where some of the poorest of Brazil’s

population lives including the Amazon region, is expected to be 15-20% drier

In the North the rainy season is arrive later than usual. Heightened health problems for the elderly, could add an

additional R$1.43 billion to public health costs by 2040 (Ibid, 13).

Source: CEDEPLAR/UFMG e FIOCRUZ (2008):Mudanças climáticas, migrações e saúde:cenários para o nordeste, 2000-2050.

Part II: Accounting for climate variability

Trends and Patterns

Uneven Development + climate change = more challenges for sustaining progress

© Asha Nsasu. ALERTNET/Felix Mwakyembe

Rungwe District malaria coordinator, Gideon Ndawala, oversees a nurse attending malaria patient

According to the WB Africa Strategy document – Malaria costs Africa USD 12 billion (including lost productivity) annually (2011: 19)

• Where growth, gender, poverty and environment meet:

• Maintaining adequate levels of food is important for household security, and for health and education gains for production and productivity.

• Continued food production both as a source of good food, economic security and growth depends significantly on adequate and consistent access to water.

• High participation of women in agriculture, small farm production and fish processing.

• Enhanced production of food and the expansion/diversification to non-farm and other productive sectors is constrained significantly by the lack of access to energy.

Gender dimensions of development

According to the best available data approximately 30% of those who live on less than a dollar each day are men.

Women work two-thirds of the world’s working hours yet receive only 10% of the world’s income.

Men own 99% of the world’s property. Women members of parliament globally average only 17% of all seats. 92% of all of the world’s cabinet ministers are men. Seventy-five percent of the world’s 876 million illiterate adults are

women. Worldwide women received 78% of the wages received by men for the

same work, although in some regions, they have a better educational background. In some parts of the world, the wage gap between women and men is close to 40%.

Of the 550 million low-paid workers in the world, 40% are men. In a sample of 141 countries over the period 1981–2002, it was found

that natural disasters (and their subsequent impact) on average kill more women than men or kill women at an earlier age than men.

Sources: Social Watch, 2007 and 2008; Oxfam, 2007; Neumayer and Plümper, 2007; and ILO, 2008.

Implications for Policy Response

Responding to humanitarian crises and increasing displacement

Adaptation – building resilience in communities and identifying options for sectors such as agriculture, water, sanitation

Mitigation: reducing GHGs from unplanned, crisis and emergency driven responses particularly by the poor

Conflict-sensitive approaches: slow and sudden-onset crisis

Disasters

Between 1990 and 1998, 94 per cent of the world’s 568 major natural disasters, and more than 97 per cent of all natural disaster-related deaths, were in developing countries.

Women are more likely to die than men in a disaster ……………..

Women’s recovery can be slower than men’s and in different sectors

40 MN displaced due to disaster last year Floods in Pakistan in 2010 due to persistent

rainfall for weeks and months Multiple events

Crises

Impact of the Iceland volcano in April 2010 on travel and business in Europe (Airline industry estimated losses of USD200MN a day; Kenyan growers already lost $12 million in 4-5 days, about 3.8 million per day (April 19, 2010*).

Significant losses for economies trading in perishable foods (Africa, C’bean) and likely access to some foods for others

Impact of swine flu, H1N1 and bird flu on tourism, travel, business and by extension the movement of goods and people

Implications for the flow and delivery of aid – economic and food aid

Opportunities for innovation*Sourced from America.gov (Stephen Kaufman) –April 20, 2010. Accessed online June 27 th, 2010 and BBC

news online April 21st, 2010)

Women’s Educational attainment around the world

Source: Deloitte, 2011:7 (http://www.deloitte.com/assets/Dcom-Greece/dttl_ps_genderdividend_130111.pdf_

Women as economic actors…… Activities which emit GHGs:

Energy production Industrial activity Transportation – cars, airplanes Deforestation – releases carbon into the atmosphere Agriculture – animal waste significant source of methane

At issue here is not just the emissions themselves but the lifetime of these gases in the atmosphere - 1, 12 years, 100 years (nitrous oxide) , 500 and some even 3,000 and 10,000 (Hexafluoroethane and their global warming potential over tens of thousands for years

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmRyJaBPvD0&NR=1

Women’s Growing Economic Power

Source: Deloitte, 2011 from Silverstein and Sayre, 2009

Reducing energy poverty, emissions and inequality: (Barefoot College example)

Started in India but now worldwide including Africa: Simple and focused largely on women (middle aged and older women including grand-mothers) making them actors in the response to climate change

Finalist for the Buckminster Fuller Challenge in 2010, awarded the Alcan Prize for Sustainability in 2006

In Africa, started in Ethiopia in 2004 and extended to other countries including Cameroon and Rwanda

Has saved 30,000 litres of kerosene per month from polluting the atmosphere and reduced significantly the use of firewood in participating communities.

Transport of solar panels in the village of Tindjambane, in the region of Timbuktu, Mali (From BC webpage)

More information: http://www.wipo.int/wipo_magazine/en/2009/03/article_0002.html

Climate Change and Growth CC presents a fundamental challenge to inclusive growth processes within

states and between states limiting opportunities for productive inclusion), potentially de-stabilizing growth, changing the nature of growth and economies and destroying the scarce and fragile assets available to the poor.

Getting the mix right between CC and Inclusive Growth requires policy efforts at a number of levels:

Reducing the burden on the poor from macro level risks in growth;

Allowing the poor and vulnerable to be heard and to define and contribute to defining new forms and growth and participating in the transformation;

Helping the poor build and sustain assets which help them to weather shocks, whether one time intense events or as part of long-term change where shocks will be more frequent;

Ensuring that women, youth, farmers, the urban poor, indigenous peoples and other marginalized groups have access to opportunities in order to productively contribute to growth.

Part III : Improving empowerment and agency: accounting for long-term environmental risk

Risk and Risk Perception

Risk is the likelihood of something happening.

implying…… awareness, information and belief

Sudden Onset impacts, empowerment and development

Issues Female Male

Pre DisasterDiffering Vulnerabilities - biological - social - cultural - attitudinal (risk perception)

Reproductive health needsRestricted skill baseExclusion from home constructionLow level of risk tolerance

No special restrictionsMobile skillsExclusion from child care responsibilitiesHigh level of risk tolerance

EmergencyDiffering coping mechanisms

Suffer higher incidence of depression (crying and suicide ideation);Organizing community sing-a-longs and story telling;

Alcoholism, gambling and dysfunctional behaviour;Rescuing villagers and clearing roads;

Transition (rehabilitation and Recovery)

Weak access to wage earning possibilities;Women prepared one-pot meals for the community;Devoted more time to community and reproductive work.

Easier access to wages/income;Men engaged in ‘marooning” teams for house rebuilding;Spend more time in productive work; abandonment of families and responsibilities.

ReconstructionDiffering priorities Differing access to resources;Differing access to power in the public sphere

Priorities for shelter, economic activity, food security, and health care;Women slower to return to Labour Market; Reconstruction programmes that embark on development without the inclusion of gender analysis tools;Women’s lack of involvement in governance mechanisms.

Priorities for, agriculture, Infrastructural development and economic activity;Men easy access to the Labour Market; Reconstruction programmes in construction and agricultural development that favour male participation;Gender neutral governance mechanisms that don’t recognize changing gender roles and relationships, and favour male participation.

Slow onset: Urban Risk

Urban risk has increased Sanitation, slums, housing, waste management amongst key

issues In 2008, the urban share of GDP for (UNESCAP in UNHabitat,

2011). Yet, the urban population living in slums (hence not profiting

largely from growth and the productive capacity of the urban area)

Slum Populations in Asia and Pacific, 2010 (projections. Sourced from UNHabitat, 2011

Source: UN-Habitat/UNESCAP, 2011

Rural Risk: Climate Change and Agriculture Availability – drought or

flood – on production Quality of the land Deforestation and

Desertification Use of pesticides and

fertilizers to increase production

Quality and Quantity of crops – nutrition and income

Timing of planting and reaping

Source: Oxfam, 2011

Generalized Risk: Water Resources Availability –

Droughts/Floods Food, Disease, Cost/Access Life Forced migration Social inequality Conflict and social unrest Sanitation Personal hygiene

Who distributes water in the household? Who uses water most?Who is exposed to risk in water collection?

Who bears the burden of care-giving? Who needs it and for what?

Heavy rain: the Brazilian town of Jacuipe is swamped by floodwaters from the Jacuipe River. (AFP: Thiago Sampaio)

Generalized Risk: Health

Increase prevalence of disease vectors Result in heat stress or water deficiency or

expose persons to even more unclean water Too little or too much water will impact on food

production and food safety Impacts on food production and food security,

will have impacts on nutrition – consequences for mothers, children, the elderly, youth in terms of physical resilience and ability to fight off disease. Also for children’s development

Who is more vulnerable to illness? Who cannot afford to be sick?Who takes care of the sick? Who leads on food safety in the household?

Implications for pregnant and nursing mothers.

Gender, Employment and Access to Food

Sourced from FAO, 2011: Presentation to Expert Group Meeting on The Challenges of Building Employment for Sustainable Recovery

CC, Gender and Economic Empowerment

For the 70% of those who live on less than a dollar each day (women) – mitigation efforts should ideally provide them with new income-generating opportunities.

For the women who work two-thirds of the world’s working hours yet receive only 10% of the world’s income – adaptation should ensure that this 10% is not further reduced.

For the 1% of global women who have property climate change could damage or destroy these assets or adaptation and technology could help to protection those assets.

For the 75% of the world’s 876 million illiterate adults are women and the 25% who are men, mitigation and adaptation efforts supported by education, could give them many opportunities and facilitate their contribution

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9waL_Jlvqw&feature=player_embedded#

The Solidarity Economy (Brazil)

The Solidarity Economy embraces the concept of a “social economy’’ or growth driven by social accountability and responsibility combined with a focus on environmental sustainability. In Brazil, the "Solidarity Economy" started in the 1980s with the organization of rural workers, it expanded in the 90s and early 2000s into a social movement.  

It is now linked into the national policy framework through a National Secretariat and a council and more recently a policy signed by Lula integrating the solidarity economy into Brazil’s growth strategy.  In 2005 it involved over a million persons and 41% of municipalities in Brazil. While linked to the concept of productive inclusion, it goes further. In November 2010, President Lula signed a decree making Brazil the first Equitable and Solidarity trade system in the world that is recognized and supported by the state[1].

Paul Singer, professor and Secretary of the Solidarity Economy National Secretariat argues in his book Introduction to Solidarity Economy (Introdução à Economia Solidária) that Solidarity Economy is a alternative proposal between capitalism and classic socialism and updates ideas of John Stuart Mill.

Solidarity Economy is a vision in which a series of parameters  are to be followed during the execution of public policies aimed at creating employment and revenues through actions of promotion of the solidarity economy and of fair trade. Its objectives include conscious consumerism, social responsibility, a national identity of equitable and solidarity trade; and equitable pricing for those who produce, commercialize and consume.

Greening Commodities (UNDP Global)

UNDP’s Green Commodities Facility and Public-Private Platforms for Sustainable and Inclusive Growth” :

Builds on experiences of the Green Commodities Facility (GCF) as well as broader work of UNDP in the area of inclusive markets and value chain development.

Partnership of the Environment and Energy Group, BDP together with the Private Sector Division.

UNDP’s Green Commodities Facility and an emerging national platform initiative bring together public and private actors with the aim to integrate inclusive growth with environmentally sustainable and “green growth”.

Country example: the National Platform for Responsible Production and Trade of Pineapple in Costa Rica. The platform is an initiative of UNDP and the Costa Rican Government with the objective of developing an environmentally and socially responsible model for pineapple production in the country through a dialogue among producers, exporters, authorities and civil society.

The pineapple industry, the second largest agricultural exporter, has been accused of contributing to eco-degradation including water contamination (freshfruitportal.com, 2011). According to the WRI, Costa Rica uses the most pesticides per hectare globally, more than double that of Colombia (No.2 ) and Netherlands (3).

 

Part IV: Sustaining Empowerment:Environment as a Policy Principle

“There can be no sustainable social progress or expansion of economic activity unless the natural foundations for human existence are maintained, and there can be no effective protection of the integrity and diversity of natural ecosystems, rational use of natural resources or equitable sharing of benefits unless the necessary institutions are developed” (UNDP 2004)

Understanding Sustainability

Diagram 4 Interlocking Circles showing the necessary movement to attain sustainability

Source: IUCN, 2006: 2.

Interlocking show connectedness and the continuing process of change

Linking CC is important for gender analysis Improves understanding of how social and

environmental risk intersect Expands our understanding of behaviour change

needed for transformational change How climate change can impact on women’s

economic empowerment opportunities – taking away or reducing their viability

Can help make strategic decisions for the investment of scarce resources

Likely to improve human impact of climate change policy

Likely to result in greater ownership by entire society of policy reform including hard choices

Can reduce/eliminate ‘ additional harm’

Inclusion is not just about who; it is it is also about why It is also important to recall that poverty and

gender inequality are not absolutes but are relative concepts, since they refer to the status of one group relative to another in a specific context.

Not all rural people are poor, not all women are disempowered in the same ways, and not all environmental benefits are sustainable.

Those who have access to resources, education and opportunities are certainly vulnerable to climate change, but in a different way; they are much less vulnerable than the poor because of their capacity to cope, and to identify or create other opportunities for themselves.

Mainstream, not add…..

mainstream sustainable development and climate change perspectives into national policies, action plans and other measures on gender equity, carrying out systematic analysis, collecting and utilizing sex-disaggregated data on who

uses resources, when and for what, establishing indicators and benchmarks, developing practical tools to support increased attention More research but about climate change responses i.e.

human behaviour and social change, and Consultation with and participation of women in climate

change initiatives and ensuring a role for women’s groups and networks. Involving the Gender Bureaux and Ministry of Social Development. [Policy Reform]

Governance is central …………………

Existing governance institutions are also embedded in the current system, so it is naïve to simply specify “ideal” governance institutions that would, for example, create a high global price for carbon, mandate clean production systems, and empower non-financial stakeholders. Meaningful change requires careful study of the contested terrain of corporate environmental practice and governance, and a long-term strategy to win new allies, reframe the issues, shift norms, realign economic incentives, and craft new rules and oversight mechanisms

(David Levy in Pardee Centre Task Force Report, 2011)

Understanding how the environment is valued

O’Brien and Wolf (2010: 233) note that :“a values-based approach to vulnerability and adaptation

recognises that economic assessments of impacts and responses, as exemplified in the Stern Review, cannot capture the full

significance of climate change. The experiential and cultural dimensions of climate change,

largely ignored in assessments by the IPCC, examine the meaning and relevance of climate change for individuals and groups. Vulnerability is not simply about the negative material

outcomes associated to climate change … Consequently, what is considered legitimate and successful adaptation depends on what people perceive to be worth

preserving and achieving, including their culture and identity”.

Appreciating Uncertainty

Susceptibility or incapacity to withstand, adopt or adapt

Resilience or capacity to withstand, adopt or adapt

Vulnerability

Natural Event (could pose a risk or threat)

Conceptual Framework for Vulnerability/Source: Asha Kambon, 2005

Contact information Leisa Perch Policy Specialist/Coordinator –Rural and

Sustainable Development IPC-IG/UNDP Ministerio do Exercito, Esplanada dos

Ministerios, Bloco O, 7 Andar, Brasilia DF Email: leisa.perch@ipc-undp.org Tel: +55 61 2105 5012