Gender and climate change: mapping the linkages A scoping study on knowledge and gaps

The issue of climate change is not new, but it s take-up as a key development concern and its integration into pro-poor planning is a fairly rec ent departure. Even more recent is the integration of a gender-sensitive perspective in climate change research and responses. For this reason, there is little existing research considering the linkages between climate change and gender. Similarly, while there is a wealth of literat ure on gender and the environment, gender and energy, gender and water, gender and conflict and gender and disasters, there are few explicit references to gender and climate change. This paper, prepared for the UK Department for International Development’s (DFID) Equity and Rights Team, seeks to make the most of the av ailable resources, pulling from them useful insights that could inform and strengthen future research on and interventions into gender and climate change. Drawing on existing publicly available literature and personal communications with experts in the field of gender and climate change the paper outlines key linkages between climate change and gender inequality – focusing pa rticularly on adaptation and mitigation policies and practices. It seeks to identify gaps in the existing body of work on gender and the environment, which has focused primarily on wom en’s agricultural livelihoods, access to natural resources, or disaster risk reduction. Where po ssible it reviews best practice on adaptation and mitigation, with an emphasis on research, policy and practice. The paper ends with recommendations regarding priority areas for future research and highlights some practical steps required to achieve more equitable, appropriate climate change policies and programme