Climate Change and Its Growing Impact on Women

Climate change is no longer a distant concern; it is a lived reality, especially in South Asia. This densely populated region is grappling with rising seas, unpredictable rainfall, and increasingly intense storms. These shifts threaten food production, water access, and the safety of communities along coastlines. While the entire region feels the strain, rural populations face deeper risks, particularly women, who often have fewer resources and limited support during crises.

Illustration by The Geostrata

Longstanding inequalities restrict their ability to respond or adapt effectively. Yet many of these women carry vital ecological knowledge rooted in tradition. With its economic strength and regional influence, India has a unique opportunity to lead in developing climate strategies that not only address environmental threats but also recognise and reduce gender-based vulnerabilities.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE ROLE OF WOMEN

The gendered impact of climate change has been an issue largely neglected by the mainstream media and government policies. A major reason for this can be the sheer unacknowledgement of the fact that women as a community are to bear the burden of not just the economic or political impact of it, but also physically and mentally. Therefore, to better understand how rapid shifts in climate have impacted women, it is important to know where the issue stems from. 

According to the Climate Risk Index 2025, seven out of the ten most affected countries in 2022 belonged to the high-income country group. However, low-income group countries were more prone to facing severe impacts of climate change because of their low risk management capabilities and less developed redressal mechanisms. Hence, it increases the risk multifold in such regions.

In Asia alone, an estimated 27% of women face some sought of gender based or sexual violence in their lifetimes.

In such a case, climate change amplifies the vulnerability of a community already at a great disadvantage. A case study of Bangladesh and West Bengal (India) is used in this article to present an in-depth analysis of two regions with heightened gender discrimination and recent hard hits due to rapid climate change. 

CASE STUDY- BANGLADESH

Bangladesh, a nation positioned in the east of India in the Bay of Bengal, has several rivers and tributaries that cover the land, making it fertile, generating livelihood, and supporting biodiversity. However, in the last few years, Bangladesh has been severely impacted by climate change in the region.

The issue of sea level rise has resulted in altering the basic economic activities. Bangladesh, thus, is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. The government estimates that by 2050, one in every seven Bangladeshis will be displaced due to climate change – that's 13.3 million people.

Climate change poses significant threats to human health, particularly in densely populated urban areas of Bangladesh. One of the major consequences of climate change in Bangladesh is the displacement of people from rural to urban areas.

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According to a recent study by UN Women, in Dhaka, more than 70% of the migrants are from coastal regions that are severely affected by cyclones, floods, salinity intrusion, and sea-level rise. Internal migration to urban cities because to the lack of swift restoration. This has, however, worsened the conditions with rising population density in urban areas, causing water shortage and resource scarcity. 

Women, on the other hand, are more likely to migrate than men due to the fear of loss of livelihoods, food insecurity, and lack of adaptation options in their villages.

According to a recent report by UN Women, IUCN, and UNEP (2022), climate change has a gendered impact on various sectors in Bangladesh, such as crop agriculture, water resource management, forestry, and renewable energy.

For instance, women are more dependent on natural resources for their subsistence and income, yet they have less access to and control over these resources than men. Women also bear the disproportionate burden of unpaid care work, which increases with climate-induced disasters and displacement.

Moreover, women face higher exposure to violence and harassment in public spaces and shelters during and after climate-related emergencies. Women are more likely to live in poverty than men, which makes them more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

A historically grounded ethnographic account of migration shows how such processes are embedded in environmental and socio-economic vulnerabilities rooted in political structures of gendered inequality. Though it pays close attention to the intimate everyday migration decisions of landless single mothers in coastal areas, this ethnography critiques how ‘coastal vulnerabilities’ conflates the vulnerability of a particular place to climatic risk with the socioeconomic constraints of the people living there.

Impacts on women are multifaceted, which can result in forced migration and a constant struggle for survival and sexual harassment in refugee camps, increased family burden and pressure, and the reproductive and personal health and hygiene of women. 

CASE STUDY- WEST BENGAL 

The Sundarbans, a vast mangrove forest straddling India and Bangladesh, is increasingly becoming a hotspot for human trafficking, particularly affecting women and children. This region, already grappling with poverty and limited resources, is now facing the compounded challenges of climate change. Rising sea levels, frequent cyclones, and salinisation of land are displacing communities, rendering them more susceptible to exploitation.

According to the Indian Meteorological Department, there is an increasing trend of +0.01 °C per year, reflecting the state's alarming situation.

However, what makes things even worse is how increasing global warming has cost heavily for the women living in Bengal. They are found bearing the cost of the shift in the climate and can be seen forced to look after the whole family. So much so that there are cases of female trafficking and illegal prostitution in the region.

The state was hit by multiple cyclones in recent years, including Amphan in 2020 and Yaas in 2021. These disasters have not only destroyed homes and livelihoods but have also led to the salinisation of agricultural land, making it unfit for cultivation for extended periods.

The loss of income sources forces many families to seek alternative means of survival, making them vulnerable to traffickers who exploit their desperation. The stories of young girls highlight the grim reality faced by many in the Sundarbans.

A young female at 14 was lured away from her home under the pretext of receiving aid after Cyclone Amphan. She found herself trafficked to Pune, where she endured three years of forced prostitution before being rescued. Similarly, Sarita was promised employment and a better life, but was instead sold into a forced marriage and sexual exploitation in Rajasthan.

These cases are not isolated. Many traffickers exploit the vulnerability of families affected by climate disasters, offering false promises of employment or marriage, only to subject women and children to various forms of exploitation. The interplay between climate change and human trafficking is evident.

Disasters like cyclones and floods destroy homes and livelihoods, pushing families into poverty. In such circumstances, traffickers prey on their desperation, offering false promises that lead to exploitation. The cycle perpetuates as survivors, often without support or resources, remain vulnerable to re-trafficking.

POLICIES AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL

The Indian government understands climate change presents an urgent challenge, so it created various policies for reducing environmental impact alongside adaptation methods.

The National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC, 2008), together with its eight missions, works to develop sustainable systems that streamline energy use and protect natural ecosystems.

The existing broad environmental policies of India lack adequate integration with the gender-specific aspects of health and socioeconomic vulnerabilities.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND WOMEN’S HEALTH: INDIA’S POLICY APPROACH

Women from rural areas and households below the poverty line experience increased malnutrition, together with heat stress and waterborne diseases, as direct effects of climate change. The National Health Mission (NHM), along with Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), supports some health impacts caused by climate change, although they directly address mother and baby healthcare issues. Even though climate adaptation requires specific policies for women's health, there exists no policy link between these two elements.

EXISTING GAPS: LACK OF GENDER-RESPONSIVE CLIMATE POLICIES

The progressive climate commitments made by India do not include adequate policies that focus on uniting climate change mitigation with women's health outcomes. The health impacts of intense heatwaves on pregnant women receive no protective policy measures despite the fact that these women face a higher level of risk exposure. Women experience increased danger after climate-induced migration due to a lack of gender-sensitive policies, even though climate adaptation puts them at more risk.

CONSEQUENCES OF NEGLECTING GENDER IN CLIMATE ADAPTATION

The failure to use gender-aware approaches in India will produce serious negative results for the country.

a) Rising temperatures, together with pollution, will create severe health problems for maternal and reproductive health across society.

b) Women who represent a notable portion of India's agricultural managers will experience decreased productivity after climate changes strike their farms and fields.

c) Social instability will likely grow worse as rising climate migration creates more risks for female vulnerability through gender inequality that makes women more susceptible to trafficking and displacement.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS: BANGLADESH’S GENDER-INCLUSIVE CLIMATE POLICIES

The government of Bangladesh has taken an active approach toward climate strategies by implementing gender-specific policies. Through the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (BCCSAP), the government implements provisions that safeguard women’s health and support their livelihood resilience as well as disaster preparedness systems. Through the Climate Resilient Participatory Afforestation and Reforestation Project, Bangladesh has established an example in the region by actively incorporating women in adaptation programmes.

REGIONAL COLLABORATION FOR CLIMATE RESILIENCE

India utilises the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to work with neighboring countries toward the solution of common environmental issues.

The SAARC Action Plan on Climate Change focuses on knowledge-sharing as well as mutual efforts in adaptation through collective strategies.

These frameworks need to develop gender-sensitive approaches better. The establishment of stronger diplomatic ties between India and Bangladesh would enable India to develop comprehensive policies that include everybody.

The following measures must become the focus for India to build climate resilience.

a) India must work on creating climate policies that specifically protect women's health along with their livelihood systems.

b) India should work with neighbouring nations to learn from Bangladesh’s inclusive practices in cooperation efforts across the region.

c) Fundamental research must take place to find out how climate change affects women differently, along with implementing specialised solutions.

The implementation of climate adaptation strategies that focus on women enables India to achieve its dual goals of protecting susceptible communities and emerging as a climate change leadership figure in South Asia.

SUGGESTIONS AND WAYS TO MOVE FORWARD

One thing that is lacking during a particular gender enduring the pain from climate change is that women have no seat at the decision-making table. There is no role played by women in negotiating the policies. Some of the suggestions are as follows-

1. Including women in tabled discussions and giving them equal opportunities to present their views. 

2. Countries make special laws for the redressal of crimes caused due to climate change. 

3. Treating violence caused during rehabilitation and displacement due to climate change with utmost seriousness. 

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BY VRINDA AND AANYA

COVERING MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS

TEAM GEOSTRATA

info@thegeostrata.com