A formal mainstreaming of gender in climate policy and diplomacy would give greater legitimacy to India’s efforts in an arena in which it can demonstrate that it is both an innovator and a responsible global power in the South Asia
The climate crisis has put climate diplomacy firmly centre stage in national and international discourse, and with this, the recognition that any framework to mitigate the situation requires a gender component. The climate crisis disproportionately affects women, and in India, we see this starkly in the lower agricultural yields that force rural-to-urban migration, especially by men, leaving the women to face greater vulnerabilities such as tackling water scarcity and greater care-giving responsibilities, which take a toll on their health.
On the policy level, gender has slowly been integrated into various climate frameworks, but this has not meant representation of women at the levels required, especially at the grassroots. (Reuters)
On the policy level, gender has slowly been integrated into various climate frameworks, but this has not meant representation of women at the levels required, especially at the grassroots. In India, extreme weather events have steadily risen. Writing in a Compendium of Essays on Applying a Feminist Lens to India’s Foreign Policy brought out by Kubernein Initiative and The Asia Foundation, scholar and climate expert Dhanasree Jayaram says that in nearly 40% of India’s districts, there have been shifts in extreme climate events. This will only grow and exacerbate the negative gender dimension.
However, in most policies, women are seen as vulnerable or victims, and not stakeholders. This can only change if gender becomes a component of climate policy. A milestone in India’s climate diplomacy has been the setting up of the International Solar Alliance (ISA), with its focus on clean energy technologies. Without explicitly mentioning it, gender is a key component of ISA, which supports a project called Solar Mamas under which women are trained to make and maintain solar panels.
This demonstrates a real intersection of the climate crisis and the role of gender in alleviating it. Another area which has potential for gender mainstreaming is within the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure set up in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals last year. Jayaram says, “India’s domestic climate policy and external climate diplomacy have huge gaps in terms of gender mainstreaming. While efforts are being made to recognise the effects of the climate crisis on women, policies and programmes have a long way to go when it comes to gender-responsive and gender-transformative policies. India needs an official gendered action plan on the climate crisis. Governments also need to act upon the under-representation of women through formalised gender mainstreaming processes.”
India has positioned itself as a global climate leader. It has stepped up efforts such as net-zero emissions by 2070 and focused on building climate partnerships with other countries. The manner in which Accredited Social Health Activists played a role in tackling the climate crisis and health is worth scaling up. Despite its flaws, the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, which promotes LPG among rural women, is another example of a mitigation initiative. As Jayaram says, “India has already put in place several initiatives aimed at climate mitigation and adaptation on the one hand, and gender equality and women’s empowerment on the other. These can bring further changes in the way climate policies are designed and implemented domestically. At the international level, India’s experiences could be useful in strengthening the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s gender action plan itself.”
A formal mainstreaming of gender in climate policy and diplomacy would give greater legitimacy to India’s efforts in an arena in which it can demonstrate that it is both an innovator and a responsible global power in the South Asian region.
Lalita Panicker leads the opinion section at Hindustan Times. Over a 33-year career, she has specialised in gender issues, reproductive health, child rights, politics and social engineering.
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