- Women are disproportionately affected by climate challenges, but are often underrepresented and excluded from decision-making.
- Women-led initiatives that focus on climate awareness, gender equality and skill-building, are emerging in India.
- Experts highlight that gender equality in the climate ecosystem must also acknowledge gender minorities, caste discrimination, and socio-economic and cultural factors.
Women and girls constitute 80% of people displaced by climate change but are consistently missing from important platforms such as the annual Conference of the Parties. Every year there seems to be a new record in the exclusion of women. On November 13, 2024, two days after the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) started in Baku, Women’s Forum of Economy and Society shared on Facebook, a photo of the world leaders present at the conference, with a big question: Where are the women?
Out of the 78 world leaders who participated in COP29, only eight were women, which is half as many as last year. “In these forums, 50% of the population are being represented by 10% or less,” shares Meghna Chakkraborty, an independent water professional based in Jabalpur, India.
It was this striking lack of women in leadership positions in the climate space that sparked the idea for Chakkraborty, 34, to co-found South Asian Young Women in Water (SAYWiW) in November 2023. While working as a junior rapporteur and speaker at the World Water Week in 2023, she connected with young women from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal, all of whom work in water-related fields. They discussed how women are often the most affected by water challenges, but they are also the ones who are closest to solutions. However, they are consistently excluded from being decision-makers. “We wanted SAYWiW to be a space where women can access leadership opportunities, share their knowledge and work together to drive sustainable and inclusive water governance in South Asia,” says Chakkraborty.
More such women-led initiatives are emerging in India to address the gender gap in the climate space and engage in conversations about actions and solutions. This is a key step toward looking at climate change also as a feminist issue which requires a feminist solution, as pointed out by former President of Ireland and a climate justice advocate, Mary Robinson.
Platforms for conversation
Nivedita Bansal, 25, grew up in Navi Mumbai surrounded by blue and green spaces, especially mangroves, which sparked their interest in marine biology. Witnessing the degradation of water bodies and disappearing mangroves, they knew a larger commitment was required in the climate space.
While working with a few environmental action groups, they realised people didn’t really didn’t have a structured way to speak up about climate change. To broaden the conversation and spotlight youth voices in the climate space, Bansal started Talk Dharti To Me, which they call India’s First Sustainability Magazine, in 2021.
“It is a capacity building initiative and an engaging way to build community and engagement around climate,” they say. The magazine focuses on amplifying youth’s voices about climate change. From a guide to starting conversations about climate change, and workplace climate diplomacy, to sustainability in sports, the magazine covers everything from social justice to climate change. It’s a way of starting conversations, building awareness, and equipping people with the right information.
For someone who has experienced eco-anxiety, Bansal is aware of how doom and gloom news about climate change can impact people. With Talk Dharti to Me, they wanted to flip the narrative and focus on making it engaging and even ‘cool’ to talk about it.
Delhi-based Sayesha Dogra, 30, started The Climate Party (TCP) in 2023 with a similar idea. As a chartered accountant, who decided to pursue a career in the climate space after an expedition to Antarctica, she found it difficult to connect with people working in the space to get some guidance. What started as a casual meet-up of about 20 people at a park in Gurugram, led her to start The Climate Party, a space where diverse people come together to learn, cross-pollinate ideas about climate action through discussions and games.
“People often either find the climate space too niche or boring. By calling it a party, the idea was to make people curious and the space inclusive,” says Dogra. TCP hosts two types of parties. One, a standard party where there people engage in discussions, exchange ideas about the theme of the month, and engage in fun but informative climate games. Second, immersive climate parities wherein people learn through experience such as visiting a waste management centre.
From founders and investors to policy folks, journalists, researchers, and scientists, CSOs gather every month in a curated space to learn about and collaborate on climate solutions. “The idea is to not just focus on problems but also the solutions so that people are motivated to act. When people engage in conversations about climate change or see where their waste is going, they tend to understand the problem better and thus, they are more open to talking about solutions,” says Dogra.
Lack of gender parity
COP29 showed that gender parity in climate governance structures at national and international level remains a distant goal, according to United Nations Women (UN Women). Experts also acknowledge a lack of intersectionality, further limiting access to marginalised communities.
“Women, particularly those from marginalised communities, often bear the brunt of the climate crisis and are most impacted by its effects, while also having limited access to decision-making process and getting their voices heard,” says Deepti Ojha, spokesperson of Women Climate Collective, a programme that works towards empowering women in the climate and gender equity spaces.
Talking about the gendered impacts of climate change, Ojha explains that women, especially those in rural areas and Indigenous communities, are often responsible for collecting water, fuel, and food for their families. Hence, when extreme weather events such as droughts and floods and extreme weather events occur, it puts them at disproportionately higher risk by impacting them more and leaving them more vulnerable.
“Women are underrepresented in the climate decision-making process, both at the local and national level, specifically in India. Here, we see that women’s voices are often marginalised in discussions about policy and adaptation strategies and climate finance,” says Ojha.
As a water professional, Chakkraborty rarely saw women being considered qualified enough to get a seat at the table. “In India, the number of women who have completed a master’s degree in STEM is one of the highest in the world. Yet, their participation in the water utility sector is one of the lowest,” she says.
Bansal who has felt isolated in leadership positions says over the years they have realised how difficult the climate space is for women. “Even if they do most of the work, they get least recognition. They are also missing from leadership roles. So, for the few who do hold leadership positions, the environment can feel isolating,” they explain.
Women-led actions and tangible outcomes
Even with consistent research showing women are key to climate solutions, wide gaps remain and women bear the brunt of climate change and their presence at the solutions table. The women-led initiatives aim to bridge these gaps through their initiatives.
For instance, Niti Bhasarkar, a law student from Mumbai began volunteering with Talk Dharti to Me, and she didn’t expect to pursue a career in climate-related fields. After six months, the exposure she had gained made her pursue internships in environmental law and climate justice. “Women leaders often push for more women to come up in the fields which are essential in the climate ecosystem,” says Bansal.
Chakkraborty is also focused on increasing more South Asian women representatives in the climate space, especially in water management. While her co-founders are from Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, they have representatives in Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.
The Climate Party, which hosts climate parties in six cities across India every month, has opened doors for students to find jobs and start-up founders have found their first investors. “When people actively meet to discuss climate solutions, the focus is on problem solving and not just the problems,” says Dogra. Meanwhile, Ojha highlights that gender equality in the climate ecosystem has to be inclusive in a way that acknowledges multiple layers of gender minorities, caste discrimination, and socio-economic and cultural factors.
Read more: Indian cities witness a growing momentum for climate action
Banner image: Meghna Chakkraborty, an independent water professional based in Jabalpur, speaks at Climate Solutions Leadership Training in Nigeria. Her conversations with women while working in water-related initiatives like World Water Week 2023 inspired her to launch South Asian Young Women in Water in 2023. Image courtesy of Megha Chakkraborty.
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