Chronicle Editor
Leonard Ncube, recently in Dubai, UAE
Women and girls are disproportionately affected by the ravaging effects of climate change as they work hard to provide for their families.
While it is true that some men and boys also do household chores traditionally reserved for women, it is the women and girls that are mostly affected because of the nature of their roles.
Mainstreaming gender therefore becomes critical in all sectors of the economy and society so as to engender women’s voices in programming and mitigation.
Zimbabwe has a Revised National Gender Policy crafted in 2017 that places strong emphasis on gender equality and equity and envisions a gender-just society in which men and women enjoy equity, and benefit as equal partners in the development of the country.
The vision of this policy is to have a society where there is economic, political, religious and social equality and equity among women and men in all spheres of life and at all levels.
This is anchored on the protection and respect of the rights of the individual and feeds into the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and also Article 4 (c) and Article 6 (2) of the Sadc Founding Treaty which promotes the principle of human rights and implores member states not to discriminate against any person on grounds of gender, religion, political views, race, ethnic origin, culture or disability.
The United Nations Charter, Articles 8 and 101 also discourage restriction on the eligibility of a person based on gender.
As climate change exacerbates scarcity of resources, women and girls are subjected to walking long distances to fetch water, firewood and look for food, which increases threats to their safety, health and productivity.
In many vulnerable communities, the girl child misses on school time while doing house chores.
Climate change worsens existing gender inequalities.
At the recent 28th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) in Dubai the nexus between climate change and gender was topical as there was consensus that women are the worst affected by changing global weather patterns.
As land becomes less and less productive, it is women who suffer most as they have to come up with economic strategies to supplement family food sources and have to go to seek or buy goods at the market, till the land, fetch firewood, fetch water and make sure the children have all provisions.
Gender is a cross-cutting issue in the Second Republic’s National Development Strategy 1 which feeds into Vision 2030 where every citizen should have an upper middle-income, leaving no one and no place behind.
Speaking at the COP28 summit at Expo City in Dubai, Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said women play a central role that is largely reliant on the natural environment for livelihoods, making them vulnerable as they use firewood and cow dung for energy.
She said women’s voices must be amplified.
“Women and girls are disproportionately affected by climate change as they do household chores and carry their families’ burdens. Despite all these vulnerabilities, women as first respondents continue to suffer. We need to hear the voices of women in every economic sector, be it in farming, mining, manufacturing and so on.
“Empowering women is not a human rights issue but an economic issue. When we empower women we reduce conflict in our countries and close intergenerational gaps. It is therefore imperative to amplify women’s voices, we need to hear them talk. If gender inequality in climate mitigation and disaster risk management is not addressed the goals will not be realised, so we call upon developed countries to step up funding for climate action,” she said.
Her sentiments were echoed by Environment, Climate and Wildlife Minister Dr Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu who said there is a need to pay attention to how women and children are affected by climate change when discussing disasters.
“We look at climate change where our water bodies are drying up and it means they have to walk long distances to fetch water and firewood. Energy used at household level is sourced by women who also fetch water. So we need to support gender issues because women are disproportionately affected by climate change,” said the minister while urging every citizen to at least plant a tree to rehabilitate forests and protect women and girls through reforestation.
A number of mitigatory strategies have been put in place by Government and private sector organisations to empower women and girls.
These include improving water, sanitation and hygiene which Government is spearheading through drilling of boreholes with a target of 35 000 boreholes countrywide to ensure no one walks long distances in search of water and so that families can have nutritional gardens.
In the absence of grid electricity in rural and some urban communities, some organisations have also come up with alternative energy sources that reduce the amount of wood used and ultimately reduce cutting down of trees.
Rocket stoves, also known as tsotso stoves are becoming popular in many communities countrywide and their net effect has been empowering women to use less firewood and have time to attend to other duties other than fetching firewood.
In Victoria Falls, the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust in partnership with My Trees Trust, has distributed more than 4 000 rocket stoves to households in Victoria Falls in a pilot project that is set to expand beyond the city in future, targeting areas with less access to electricity.
A sizeable number of households in Victoria Falls urban lack access to grid electricity and are forced to resort to other alternatives such as using charcoal or illegally harvested timber for cooking and heating in their households.
These substitutes are often costly to the environment, and time consuming, usually to the girl child and women.
The rocket stoves have come in handy, serving a double purpose as they are also fuel efficient and reduce carbon emissions.
It is estimated that in Zimbabwe, 262 000 hectares of woodlands are lost every year through deforestation and land degradation driven by timber poaching.
The rocket stove is uniquely designed to take approximately 70 percent less fuel as it uses small branches, tree bark or twigs and has saved forests, reduced burden of fetching firewood on women and girls, reduced human-wildlife conflict, ensured the resort City of Victoria Falls remains a clean, sustainable and green destination and contributed to global decarbonisation efforts.
Gender empowerment activist Mrs Teverai Chigogo-Nhapi, however, said the rocket stoves alone cannot address gender disparities and called on practical empowerment programmes.
“We have to reduce greenhouse gases but we can’t do that with firewood tsotso stove as a solution. Firewood is an energy source so the tsotso stove only will not help, we want something that empowers women so that they don’t go out to look for firewood or fetch water. We want action, we are not looking for handouts or loans,” she said.
Another gender activist, the youthful Ms Tafadzwa Kurotwi called for sustainable solutions to climate change and more space for women and youth in climate change action.
Act Alliance, a faith based organisation found in 150 countries where it champions gender justice and climate response is pushing for empowerment of faith based leaders as they interact with multitudes of women.
The organisation has implored the global society to focus on the needs of women especially when implementing environmental transition, food security and other programmes.
The Women’s Environment and Development Organisation (Wedo) which promotes gender among other human rights, also held a side meeting at the recent COP28 and advocated for women to be part of the solution to climate change and have their own narrative as well as be equipped with skills and information for climate adaptation.
Wedo said the boy child cannot be left out considering that some do female related roles at home.
“While climate change affects everyone, it impacts badly on women and girls hence we make the global call for global polluters to take action. Climate financing should be gender responsive and transformative. We must actively engage women and girls and youth in just transition to renewable energy because women face serious abuse hence whatever programme that doesn’t involve them will not work because women suffer from mitigation and lack of financial support. So we need to amplify the voice of women and girls,” said Dr Fatamah Khatagy from Wedo. — @ncubeleon.
Online Reporter
Londile Moyo