Since more women than men are dependant on public transport, women are more likely to suffer from heatwaves at buses and underground trains. Photo: Melker Dahlstrand/imagebank.sweden.se
Adapting to a warmer climate shouldn’t only include things like getting ready for floodings and droughts or securing the food system. We also have to think about how different groups are hit differently by climate change, says a new report.
One group which is particularly affected — and which happens to contain about half the population — are women. Research shows over and over again that a heated world will have more severe consequences for women, and this means Swedish local climate adaptation programs must take in a gender perspective in every step, this report argues.
For example a gender perspective is important when it comes to travel habits, safety and occupational health.
“Unless adaptation measures are carefully designed from a gender perspective they may contribute to preserving prevailing gender inequalities and reinforce women’s vulnerability to climate change”, the report writes.
So why are women more affected by climate change than men?
