Purpose

This guidance note outlines how climate change can impact men and women differently and identifies important ways in which gender roles can affect people’s capacity to adapt to changing climate-related risks. It proposes steps for helping Red Cross/Red Crescent colleagues to be climate-smart and gender-sensitive in their programming.

Overview

• The causes of men and women’s vulnerability to climate change are socially differentiated; that is, they are many and varied. Examples of differential vulnerability can be found on p. 3.
• Programmes that include gender sensitivity respond better to men and women’s needs – climate-smart programmes are no different. Such programmes can recognise the differential impacts of climate change on men and women, identify the issues and structures that can result in women’s disempowerment and transform disadvantage.
• Page 5 & 7 provide suggestions and examples, about how to consider gender while making programmes more ‘climate-smart’ at community and national society levels.

Usage: Policy guidance

Audiences: Gender and diversity practitioners, Technical staff

Reference: Australian Red Cross (June 2014). Gender and Climate Change. Guidance note (pp. 1-12). Available from: http://www.redcross.org.au/files/2014_Gender_and_Climate_Change.pdf [Accessed: 21 December 2015].