Gender and Climate Change Finance: A Case Study from the Philippines

"Investing in women is one of the most effective ways to advance sustainable development and fight climate change devastation. Existing conditions and discrimination determine who is most impacted by “natural” disasters. Women are the majority of the 1.3 billion people living in the deepest poverty worldwide, and people in poverty bear the brunt of climate change impacts.
They are most dependent on the environment for livelihoods, food, fuel and medicine. Women often lead communities in conserving natural resources, adapting crops to changing soil and climatic conditions, and rebuilding following natural disasters. The feminization of poverty and gendered divisions of labor present clear differences in how climate change impacts women and men, and their respective capacities for coping with and adapting to climate’s changes. And while women tend to bear a disproportionate burden of adjustment to climate change, they contribute less than men to greenhouse gas emissions. Still, women’s voices are largely absent from policy discussions and negotiations over climate change. The prevalence of men in decision-making—which is often most acute in economic spheres—means that special efforts must be made to involve women in climate negotiations. Therefore, while women’s lives and livelihoods should be central to the development of policies and mechanisms to finance climate change mitigation and adaptation, gender considerations are thus far scant.
Given this context, governments must ensure their climate financing policies are informed by gendered realities. With the support of Heinrich Boell Foundation, WEDO has launched a pilot initiative on climate change financing in adaptation and mitigation at the national level, starting with this case study from the Philippines. Partnering with Athena Peralta, a Philippines-based consultant on women, poverty and ecology, the study analyzes the challenges of financing gender equality in climate change mitigation and adaptation financing; identifies the specific issues of concern for women such as agriculture, food sovereignty, disease, migration, and agro-fuel production; and provides recommendations for improving women’s lives through climate change mitigation and adaptation financing. The author used a combination of quantitative and qualitative second-person data with original interviews and analysis to complete the studies."