The Impact of Inadequate Climate Finance on the Health and Well-Being of Women and Girls

The adverse impacts of Climate change continue to affect diverse sections of people worldwide and Africa in particular.  Among those, women are not spared, as they continue to be disproportionately affected in different ways.

 The UNFCCC report published in 2022 indicates that climate change continues to have impacts on women and girls around the world, especially on their health, safety, and opportunities.

 To address the above-mentioned climate change impacts on women and girls,  climate finance and gender  equality are key in climate action programming.

For instance, the UNWOMEN reports that 236 million more women and girls are expected  to be affected by  food insecurity  caused by Climate change. Additionally,  the organization indicates that this projection would increase female poverty by 93 million and increase in female food insecurity by 105 million in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Despite making commitments to promote gender equality in climate finance, not enough funding is directed to gender responsive projects, and developed countries consistently fail to deliver.

 This challenge was raised by UNWOMEN during COP29 held in Baku, Azerbaijan, in 2024, where it was highlighted that by  2022, 3 per cent  of all official development assistance on climate was related to  was allocated gender equality-related objectives.

This gap in funding intensifies existing inequalities, undermines health outcomes, and hinders women’s ability to respond to climate-related challenges.

In climate change-induced disasters, for instance, women and girls are more likely to be displaced, face gender-based violence, and struggle with health and economic opportunities.

For example, the International Water Management Institute reported last year that in Ethiopia, extended droughts led to a 119% rise in the number of girls sold into early marriages in exchange for livestock in 2023.

Climate change also increases the burden of domestic work, which mostly falls on women. In places like sub-Saharan Africa, women spend more time walking long distances to fetch water as climate change reduces access to clean water. This not only puts them at risk of violence but also exposes them to health dangers. Over 2.6 billion people, mostly women, rely on solid fuels like wood and charcoal for cooking. The smoke from these fuels causes deadly indoor air pollution, leading to diseases like lung infections, eye problems, and chronic respiratory illnesses.

Furthermore, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that climate change will cause an additional 250,000 deaths per year between 2030 and 2050 due to factors like heat stress, malaria, and undernutrition.

Climate finance, which is money used to help countries adapt to and mitigate climate change, is critical to improving the health and well-being of women and girls.

With only 2.9% allocated to gender equality out of   $28.2 billion allocated to adaptation funding  by developed countries in 2021, it remains a puzzle to address the climate finance-related gender gap which affect women and girls in particular.

To create a future where women and girls are safe and thrive, climate finance must be gender-responsive and focused on those who need it most. Governments, organizations, and institutions should integrate gender into climate finance to address inequalities, unlock the potential of women-led solutions, and improve the effectiveness of climate action.

Providing climate finance that addresses the specific needs of women and girls can have a great impact. It can reduce the effects of climate change, promote development, and help address the root causes of gender inequality. Gender-responsive climate finance, funding that recognizes and supports women’s roles in climate solutions, can make a significant difference in improving the lives of women and girls in climate-vulnerable communities.

Lois Lubanya Josiah, Communications Volunteer, PACJA