review · The Lancet Planetary Health
Intersectional approaches to climate policy and inclusive representation in decision-making are necessary to address the health and social impacts of climate change equitably. Women, girls, and gender-diverse individuals face disproportionate climate-related health burdens, particularly when compounded by historical and ongoing systems of oppression. Despite this, international climate governance under the UNFCCC from 1995 to 2023 has remained male-dominated. Gender equality has frequently been conflated with basic numerical presence, and several national delegations are projected to take more than a decade to achieve gender parity. Ensuring meaningful gender-responsiveness in climate planning and promoting fair participation improves the effectiveness of national strategies while fostering healthier, more resilient, and more equitable societies.
Climate change affects populations unequally, yet international policy negotiations often exclude the perspectives of those most affected. Addressing the specific health risks faced by women and gender-diverse communities requires equitable representation and intersectional planning in climate leadership. Without deliberate integration of gender and health considerations into governance, global climate solutions will remain incomplete and fail to protect vulnerable populations.
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Focusing specifically on the gender-climate-health nexus, this Personal View builds on existing feminist works and analyses to discuss why intersectional approaches to climate policy and inclusive representation in climate decision making are crucial for achieving just and equitable solutions to address the impacts of climate change on human health and societies. This Personal View highlights how women, girls, and gender-diverse people often face disproportionate climate-related health impacts, particularly those who experience compounding and overlapping vulnerabilities due to current and former systems of oppression. We summarise the insufficient meaningful inclusion of gender, health, and their intersection in international climate governance. Despite the tendency to conflate gender equality with number-based representation, climate governance under the UNFCCC (1995-2023) remains dominated by men, with several countries projected to take over a decade to achieve gender parity in their Party delegations. Advancing gender-responsiveness in climate policy and implementation and promoting equitable participation in climate governance will not only improve the inclusivity and effectiveness of national strategies, but will also build more resilient, equitable, and healthier societies.
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DOI: 10.1016/s2542-5196(24)00270-5
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