Climate Change and Gender Equality

Dec 10, 2021
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Takalani Netshitenzhe, External Affairs Director for Vodacom South Africa says,“This year’s 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence was shortly after the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow Scotland. To this end, it is important to acknowledge the intersection between climate change and gender, specifically within rural communities where the gender gap is greatest. There’s no denying that rural communities are most vulnerable to climate change’s impact because weather-sensitive activities like farming provide livelihoods and food security for most of these families”.

Although world leaders committed through the Paris Agreement in 2015, to ensure global temperatures remain below 1.5°C or 2°C above pre-industrial levels, unfortunately, by 2020, we had already reached 1.2°C. It’s unsurprising then that countries around the world are seeing extreme adverse weather events from droughts to flooding.

To reach the Paris Agreement goals, participating countries are required to set up and follow Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) that outline plans for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions on the road to net-zero status. Developed countries pledged to help developing nations meet targets by providing financial and technical assistance, with South Africa receiving a USD
8.5 billion pledged to this end during COP26.