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Climate Crisis: 2.9 Billion Women Face High Exposure, Deepening Gendered Poverty
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Moneycontrol•29-09-2026, 14:00
Climate Crisis: 2.9 Billion Women Face High Exposure, Deepening Gendered Poverty
- •Around 2.9 billion women and girls live in countries highly exposed to climate change and geophysical hazards, intensifying existing social and economic inequalities.
- •Women face higher economic insecurity, with 9.9% living in extreme poverty in 2024 compared to 9.5% of men, and 1.1 billion women could be food insecure by 2030.
- •Gender gaps in income, food security, and decision-making limit women's ability to recover from climate shocks, as they have less access to resources and formal employment.
- •Women hold only 27% of national cabinet positions overseeing environmental portfolios, despite their high climate exposure, impacting effective policymaking.
- •Weakening progress on gender equality, including reduced funding for women's rights organizations, further hinders the implementation of policies addressing women's needs in poverty, economic security, and environmental protection.
Key Questions Answered
According to the Gender Snapshot 2026 report, around 2.9 billion women and girls live in countries that are highly or very highly exposed to climate change and geophysical hazards.
Women hold only 27% of national cabinet positions overseeing environmental portfolios, despite billions of women living in regions facing high or very high climate exposure.
Closing gender gaps in agricultural productivity could potentially lift 45 million people out of food insecurity, highlighting the importance of narrowing gender disparities.
