BY: FARAZ AHMED CHANDIO
As the rest of the world experiences the impact of climate change and looks for the best solutions to the climate crisis, it becomes clear that the most affected and most capable advocates for transformational change, women and children, must be fully engaged in the efforts. In and outside of Pakistan, these groups are affected most by the collapse of the environment, and at the same time, these people are the most climate vulnerable, and their voice and leadership are critical to the development of resilient, climate-impacted communities.
The Frontline Reality: Women and Youth on the Climate Edge
Social and economic inequities result in the adverse impacts of climate change on women and girls more than other demographic groups. In several territories, they are in charge of obtaining food, water, and fuel for the household, the tasks of which are being made more difficult as droughts, flooding, and erratic weather conditions become more common. When disasters occur, greater vulnerabilities of women and children stem from the inequities of information access, movement, and decision-making.
United Nations
However, the impacts of climate change do not simply make women suffer. The Impact of climate change on women also make them climate change activists and advocates. In Pakistan, for example, many rural women are spearheading the water conservation and management, promotion of drought-resilient crops, and formation of community groups that prepared for extreme weather events, thus lessening community vulnerability. Women are also the ones that introduced rainwater harvesting and drought-resilient farming in many households and
The climate change challenge is also being taken by the youth with energy and motivation. Young activists are championing the cause and moving their peers to action while also demanding a place in decision-making.
In Pakistan, UNICEF appointed Zunaira Qayyum, aged 14, national Youth Advocate for Climate Action and Girls’ Empowerment — an acknowledgment of youth advocacy and the necessity to mainstream youth advocacy within climate advocacy.
Voices That Matter: Leadership, Advocacy, and Innovation
Empowering women and adolescents to formulate climate solutions also adds value to the climate weapons, and its impacts and benefits, of the climate weapons. Because women possess great knowledge of the local ecosystems, climate resource management, and social community structures, the design of climate policies and resources becomes more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable.
In the same way, youth advocacy also lends synergistic value to climate advocacy. Young people engaged in social science research, community grassroots organization, and activism to lobby for climate action and climate advocacy in social media for antagonist climate governance and community eco-social international to climate advocacy.
The benefits of climate action advocacy and participation of women and youth in climate action advocacy and climate governance are immeasurable for the community. The Youth Climate Action Initiative in Pakistan, which brought together young leaders from diverse regions to co-develop climate solutions with gender-responsive climate solutions, demonstrates the real value inclusive platforms for climate action have on the community.
From Policy to Practice: What Needs to Happen
While we still need to take further action to ensure women and youth can fully engage in developing climate resiliency in all its aspects, the following have to be implemented:
Institutionalize Gender- Responsive Climate Action: Climate action policies need to address the vulnerabilities and contributions of women. In all sectors, women need to be included in the planning and decision-making processes.
Invest in Adaptive Practice: Women and youth digitally lead, and adapt to earnings in the green economy, and innovative, mentoring, and leadership of practices to climate change opportunities.
Support Community Climate Leadership: National climate policies need to integrate local, rural, and marginalized communities, as they have the lived experiences and realities to address climate change.
Promote Collaborative Knowledge Systems: The combination of traditional knowledge of the elders and digital ingenuity of youth offers the potential to address climate change in culturally appropriate and innovative ways.
A Future of Hope and Action
A people-centered equitable, just, and accountable climate action movement is needed to address the climate crisis. The most affected by climate change are women and youth, who have the greatest potential to drive climate change adaptation and resilience.
With a focus on empowering their voices and leadership potential, and truly including them in climate decision-making processes, Pakistan and others will create a more resilient and fairer tomorrow.
But change in the end will happen through the people because real change springs from the foundations from all policies, and from all technologies and the people, especially the people, and the people, whose voices have been silenced, and whose leadership has been ignored, because these people will take out all the change and everything else will follow.
