The Anatomy of A Silent Crisis The Anatomy of A Silent Crisis

62 Forum 2009: Climate Change – The Anatomy of a Silent Crisis
“ It is a matter of social justice. If we care about
injustice and inequality, we must care about climate
change. Climate change exacerbates existing
inequalities including the different vulnerabilities of
men and women.” Barbara Stocking — Chief Executive, Oxfam GB, Oxford, England
Climate change exacerbates gender inequalities. Women account for two-thirds of the world’s
poor. 194 70-80 percent of agricultural workers are women. They are also largely responsible for
water collection and often serve as the primary caretaker in a household. 195 As a result, climate
change impacts like decreased farm yields and water supply disproportionately impact women
by reducing their livelihoods, impairing food provision and increasing their household workload.
75 percent of deaths in climate disasters are female, 196 due to factors like an inability to swim that
leads to drowning during floods; constricting dress-codes inhibiting fast movement; and behavioural
restrictions forbidding women from leaving the house without male relatives. 197 Women are also more
vulnerable to climate related displacement and conflict, with women representing the majority of
climate displaced people. 198 This vulnerability and inequality often relegates women to the worst paid,
least regulated jobs and can place them at higher risk of sexual exploitation. 198
A global justice concern: Those who suffer most from climate change have done the least to cause it
The global pollutants that contribute to climate change do not adhere to national or regional
boundaries. They impact people regardless of where they were produced and by whom. The
world’s poorest have not benefited from the decades of economic growth that have accelerated
global warming. The poor are also only responsible for a small part of the emissions that contribute
to climate change — yet they suffer the majority of the human impact of climate change. These
contrasting realities of responsibility and human impact of climate change raise significant concerns
of global justice.
Carbon dioxide emissions are considered by far the number one cause of global warming. 65
Figure 12 on next page illustrates the imbalances between carbon emissions in the North versus
the South.