How do changes in weather patterns affect women?
KH: As caretakers of their families, women suffer the most from the effects of climate change – followed by children. As water becomes scarcer, women have to travel longer distances to find it. With food shortages, women have to find ways to feed their families. Women, (already faced with) their own health issues, including the possibility of unintended pregnancy, have to care for their children, who are highly susceptible to ill health related to climbing temperatures. The health effects of climate change alone are projected to be staggering. IPS: If it is true that there are only 16 percent women scientists on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), could we say that women’s apparent weak representation at the helm of affairs partly explains why they bear the brunt of climate change? KH: Absolutely. We need to keep highlighting this because most people have no idea how few women are involved in the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which set
