Women are central to climate change adaptation in Southeast Asia

Adapting to the realities of climate change means recognising how gender differences create unique vulnerabilities.

One of the key themes from last year’s UN climate conference in Dubai was the recognition of the need for a “loss and damage” fund. Such a fund would  provide financial support to the countries and communities already suffering the devastating effects of climate change.

The loss and damage fund marks a significant turning point in global climate action. Rather than being solely focused on mitigation efforts – measures to reduce greenhouse gases – the fund would prioritise adaptation strategies to help communities build resilience and cope with the unavoidable impacts of a changing climate. .

As countries across Southeast Asia grapple with the consequences of climate change, such as extreme floods and heatwaves, the significance of effective adaptation strategies cannot be overstated.

Many countries are already taking steps to adapt to the realities, with infrastructure development, early warning systems, sustainable agriculture, water resource management, ecosystem-based adaptation and community-based adaptation.

The objective is to build resilience, protect vulnerable communities and safeguard local economies.

The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change 2024 demonstrates that the world is not on track to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the levels needed to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

This means there must be more investment in evidence-based adaptation processes at all levels of society.

That includes disaster preparedness. The Lancet report highlights that financial support for adaptation, particularly for low- and medium-resource countries, is well below what is needed.

The healthcare system is a critical concern. In addition to being affected by climate and natural disasters itself, it is heavily dependent on supply chains, transport services for access and workforce capable of meeting the demand of existing patients – and the overflow associated with disaster impacts.

Pregnant women, new mothers, babies and children are among the most vulnerable. Loss of access to maternal and child health services due to impacts of climate change – compounded by climate impacts on water and food security – places them at even higher risk.

While political leaders and business leaders drag their feet to make a change needed to reduce fossil fuel extraction, production and use, communities are moving forward to help themselves –  on the ground, where the impacts are felt.

For example, community health workers in Indonesia, whose role by default is focused on maternal and child health, demonstrate a high tendency to self-organise and use local knowledge to ensure that pregnant women and new mothers are evacuated to safe shelter and their children too.

This means that communities increasingly organise to protect themselves from climate change impacts, with political power increasingly seen as irrelevant to new climate-uncertain futures.

Women in Southeast Asia are disproportionately affected by climate change. Adaptation measures need to recognise the social roles and identities of women particularly considering additional issues like age, socioeconomic status, marital status,  and urban or rural dwelling, as well as ethnicity and religion. Each of these factors can affect vulnerability to climate change in unique ways.

Traditional and harmful gender roles can limit women’s access to resources and decision making. Southeast Asia’s agricultural economy heavily relies on women to work outdoors. In some countries, up to 64 percent of this workforce is female. Thus their roles must be recognised in adaptation strategies.

Recent national adaptation plans reflect an increasing focus on gender-responsive climate adaptation, with the health and specific needs of women often cited as central considerations. These plans generally emphasise the heightened vulnerability of women in the face of climate impacts and the role of gender equality in fostering resilience.

Nearly all developing countries with national adaptation plans have recently incorporated some form of gender consideration, and nearly 30 percent  explicitly address gender responsiveness, a significant increase compared to 2018.

Many national adaptation plans, particularly in Southeast Asia and the Pacific also recognise the potential of women as leaders in climate adaptation.

For instance, Fiji acknowledges the role of women and girls as agents of change and key contributors to climate resilience in  agrifood systems and fisheries, and provide entry points to play an active role in the implementation of adaptation activities across these sectors.

Similarly, Vietnam is training women in sustainable agriculture and energy security, particularly in rural areas vulnerable to severe and frequent extreme weather events due to climate change.

Despite this progress, gaps remain. While many adaptation plans acknowledge gender, they often lack concrete plans for targeted women’s health issues – such as sexual and reproductive health, mental health support, and infectious disease control amid climate stressors.

Additionally, there is poor acknowledgement of women’s role in often carrying the burden of domestic responsibilities, including child care, elderly care and aiding food security for their communities.

In Malaysia and Indonesia, research on women and climate adaptation work is limited, as one review found.

However work is underway in both countries with a focus on women.

In Indonesia’s West Java, one study is looking into women’s specific socioeconomic situations, such as access to resources, livelihoods and literacy levels. Early findings indicate that urban areas may implement gender mainstreaming more effectively than rural areas, due to differences in education and awareness levels among policymakers.

Meanwhile, in Malaysia this field has hardly been explored.

One piece of work funded by the World Health Organisation led by Monash Malaysia is on how we can empower women through education and training in climate and health.

A research team will run workshops with women in Malaysia and Indonesia  to understand what the women perceive to be research priorities in health and climate change as opposed to what professionals think. The women will also share ideas on how they can get involved in research and democratic engagement.

Integrating a gendered lens into climate change adaptation is an important piece of the puzzle. Although challenges often feel enduring, particularly in rural settings where more traditional ways of living remain, empowering women through targeted efforts is a key for building a climate resilient future.

This is a COP special tri-county article by researchers from Monash Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia.

Dr Raksha Pandya-Wood is a Research fellow and project manager at Monash Climate Change Communication Research Hub (MCCCRH), Monash University Malaysia. Pandya-Wood brings expertise from the social science and global health disciplines to climate change. She specialises in community engagement.

Assistant Professor Gabriela Fernando, based at Monash University, Indonesia, specialises in Global Health. Her research focuses on the intersections of women’s health and equity, gender equality, climate change and health, and poverty, with a particular emphasis on South and Southeast Asia. 

Dr Azliyana Azhari is a Research fellow in climate change communication at the MCCCRH, Monash University Malaysia. Her expertise is within the climate-related atmospheric hazards and emission management. Her current research is centred on communicating the impacts of climate change and promoting the importance of climate action.

Associate Professor Zerina Lokmic-Tomkins is an interdisciplinary health researcher at Monash University School of Nursing and Midwifery. Her research is focused on developing climate-resilient health systems for maternal and child health.

Originally published under Creative Commons by 360info™.