This presentation provides some of the complex dimensions of climate change including the gender dimension of climate change and provides broader overview of food and human security, and development. This presentation was not meant to be exhaustive of these complex themes, but provided a broader context of analyzing the impacts of human-induced climate change.

1. Food, Gender, Human Security, &
Development
Course: Climate Change, Energy, and Development
Jenkins Macedo
Marissa Gallant
Ariel Maiorano
Samuel Morrison
November 8, 2013

2. Development & Climate Change
Marissa Gallant

3. Challenges of Development
 What is sustainable
development?
 We have different views on
progress
 We disagree about climate
change because we
understand development
differently
Source: http://www.krankyscartoons.com/Local_Archive.htm
Sustainable Development http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYbFYpH_Ex4

4. Sustainable Development Discourses
Reformist
● Market environmentalism
● Ecological modernization
● Environmental populism
Source: www.treehugger.com
Radical
● Neo-Malthusian
● Eco-anarchist
Source: www.reason.com

5. Climate Change and Poverty
Radical
vs.
Reformist
Source: http://www.globalpovertyproject.com/infobank/climate_change

6. Millennium Development Goals
1. Eradicate extreme hunger
2. Achieve universal primary
education
3. Promote gender equality
4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal health
6. Combat HIV, AIDS, Malaria etc.
7. Ensure environmental
sustainability
Sources: The Millennium Development Goals Report, 2013
8. Develop a global partnership for
development

7. Climate Change and Population
 Chinese government
○ One child policy since 1979
○ 300 million avoided births
○ 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2
emissions avoided
○ 5% of global emissions
 MDGs may not be
achieved with current
levels of growths
 What about basic human
rights?
Source; The Reporter, 2009

8. How do we Proceed?
Does an unequal, unjust,
and unsustainable world
present serious obstacles
to negotiating climate
change that must be
resolved first; or is climate
change the most
important issue to tackle?
Source: www.alphabetics.info

9. A Gendered Analysis of Climate
Change Vulnerability in Bangladesh
Samuel Morrison

10. Climate Change / Risks
 Livelihood threats
 Human health and safety threats
 Gendered access to land and
resources
 Adaptation may contribute to or
lessen inequality
 Poor communities may represent
especially vulnerable populations
 women adversely effected.
Source: Andrew Biraj in Reuters, 2011.

11. Factors Affecting the Vulnerability of Women
 Less acess to resources  drought
and deforestation make
subsistence activities harder
 More women in agricultural and
informal sectors in the developing
world.
 Reprodouction and associated
vulnerabilities
 Some customary norms prevent
women from migrating
 Women tend to be calorie deficient
in the countries studied
Source: Dave Amit in Reuters, 2010.

12. International Legal Frameworks
 2008 UN Human Rights Council  Study
on climate change and human rights
 1992 UN Conference on the Environment
in Rio de Janeiro
 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity
 Agenda 21  UN Conference on Humans
and the Environment
 UN General Assembly, Sept. 2007
 National Plans of Action submitted by 30 of
the 50 LDCs

13. Bangladesh:
A Case Study for Vulnerability
 Widespread flooding,
ciclones
 Increase in rainfall from 815% by 2030
 55% of Population lives
within 100km of coast
 80% of women live in rural
areas
CIESN, 2007

14. Risks in Bangladesh
 Female death rates higher after
floods and ciclones
 Water sources salinated
 Death of livestock and crops
 Limited acess to market as a result
of infrastructure damage
 Desturction of assets
Source: Pushpa Kumara in Associeted Press, 2008.

15. Adaptive Capacity
 Migration
 Saving assets
 Dietary adaptations
 Energy saving technologies
 Change agricultural
practices
Source: Rafiq Maqbool in Associated Press, 2007.

16. Gender Dimension of Climate
Change
Jenkins Macedo, ES&P ‘14

17. WHAT IS GENDER?
GENDER:
the state of being male or female
(typically used with reference to
social and cultural differences rather
than biological ones).
Source: http://web.clas.ufl.edu/users/kapparis/circles.jpg

18. Global Gender Gap Index
The Global Gender Gap Index:
World Economic Forum in 2006 as a
framework:
 captures the magnitude and scope of
gender-based
disparities
and
track
progress.
 It benchmarks national gender gaps on
economic, political, education, and health
criteria.
 It provides country rankings that allow for
effective comparisons across regions and
income groups, and over time.
 It is designed to create greater awareness
among a global audience of the challenges
posed by gender gaps and the
opportunities created by reducing them.

19. Global Gender Gap Index by Regions,
2006-2012
Source: Global Gender Gap Report, 2012

20. HOW DO WE ADDRESS THE
GENDER GAP

21. UN MDGs
Goal 3:
• Promote Gender Equality
& Women Empowerment
• Eliminate gender disparity in
primary and secondary education,
preferably by 2005, and in all levels
of education, no later than 2015.
Sources: The Millennium Development Goals Report, 2013

22. MDGs 3: ANY PROGRESS? YES!
Sources: The Millennium Development Goals Report 2013, United

23. Gender Inequality, 2012
Global Gender Gap Index, 2012
Source: Global Gender Gap Report, 2012

25. WHY SHOULD CLIMATE CHANGE BE SENSITIVE OF
GENDER DISPARITY?
Source: Women’s Environment and Development Organization, 2012.

26. Senior Gender Specialist
Nilufar Ahmad, a citizen of Bangladesh has worked on poverty, vulnerability, and social inclusion most of her
life and is committed to social justice and equity. Her expertise includes empowerment, local governance,
community driven development and participatory processes. She has facilitated partnerships with NGOs and
other civil society organizations in South and East Asia for scaling up innovative practices within the World
Bank's portfolio. She currently works in the Social Development Department based in Washington, D. C. as
the senior gender specialist, supports and monitors the implementation of the Gender Action Plan within the
Sustainable Development Network. She also supports local governance operations in South Asia, focusing on
demand side accountability and enhancing the "voice" of the excluded groups. (Source:
http://blogs.worldbank.org/team/nilufar-ahmad).
Nilufar Ahmad (2012). “Are Women more vulnerable to
Climate Change? How can Institutions help reduce
gender gaps in Adaptation program? Study findings from
Bangladesh.” World Bank funded project (Source:
http://www.genderinag.org/content/feature-stories).

27. River
Flood
Prone
Flash Flood
Prone
Drough
t Prone
Drainage
Congestion
Prone
Control
Salinity
Prone
Cyclone
Prone
Landslide
Prone
Sea Level
Rise Prone
Tidal Surge
Prone
Source: Nilufar Ahmad, 2012 posted in http://www.genderinag.org/content/feature-stories

28. Women have less control over all types of capital, that reduces
their adaptive capacity
sample – 420 women and 420 men.
Financial Capital
90
80
70
60
50
40
Natural Capital
30
Social Capital
20
Male
10
0
Female
Physical Capital
Human Capital
Source: Nilufar Ahmad, 2012 posted in http://www.genderinag.org/content/feature-stories

29. Women face specific difficulties, more in urban areas
sample -420 men and 420 women in rural . 180 men and 180 women in urban
Urban
Rural
Male
Faced difficulty in
bathing and
sanitation
Reduced food
consumption
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Faced difficulty in
firewood collection
Female
Children withdrawn
from school
Suffered from
diseases
Faced difficulty in
water collection
Faced difficulty in
bathing and
sanitation
Reduced food
consumption
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Faced difficulty in
firewood collection
Children withdrawn
from school
Suffered from
diseases
Faced difficulty in
water collection
Source: Nilufar Ahmad, 2012 posted in http://www.genderinag.org/content/feature-stories

30. Egalitarian norms in indigenous communities strengthen the adaptive capacity of women:
supported by Rangamati data
(sample 420 women and 420 men)
Barguna
1.0
0.8
Comilla
Coxs’ Bazar
0.6
0.4
Adaptive capacity of
male
0.2
0.0
Rangamati
Gaibandha
Rajshahi
Netrokona
Source: Nilufar Ahmad, 2012 posted in http://www.genderinag.org/content/feature-stories
Adaptive capacity of
female

31. CLIMATE CHANGE & FOOD SECURITY
Ariel Maiorano

32. “Our Coming Food Crisis”
• Issue
– Unprecedented heat wave affecting Midwestern U.S.
– More water and energy input needed to maintain
reasonable supply of crops
– Farms require crop insurance to compensate for product
losses due to climate
• Some farmers collected more money from federal insurance than
in profits in 2012
• Long-term technical and policy improvements could be made

33. “Our Coming Food Crisis”
 Suggestions from author Gary Paul
Nabhan:
 Shift to perennial agriculture
 Increased federal spending on
native seed research for
durable, profitable plant
species.
 Policy reform regarding private
gray water management.
•
 Local composting: urbanagricultural systems approach
Biomass digester at Jordan Dairy Farm in
Rutland, MA
•
source
http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/massdep/service/e
nergy/program/clean-energy-results-studies-andsucessess.html
•
Video link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1t67c82bf4

34. Agricultural Waste Digester Model
Source: http://www.epa.gov/agstar/news-events/digest/2012winter.html

35. UN Post-2015 Development Agenda
 Comprehensive formulation
and accountability framework
in progress
 DCF provides venue for
dialogue between different
actors.
 UN Systems Task Team
responsible for analytical work
to inform the ECOSOC Council.
 UN Economic & Social Council
collects information to plan for,
implement, and continue
future development agenda
Source: http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?m=200909&paged=2

36. UN News: Ban urges greater action in Africa to
meeting anti-poverty sustainability goals
UN Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon announces
release of Report Life
and Dignity for All
Disturbed by
malnutrition and general
disadvantage of women.
Expressed need for
capacity building for
women
Human development
(anti-poverty)
Proposals for
sustainable
development goals
contributed by
UN Open Working Group
Citizen participants in
global survey
Source:
http://www.myworld2015.org/index.html?page=results

37. Discussion Questions
1.
What factors contribute to climate change related vulnerability in Bangladesh and other parts of the world?
2.
If we have a responsibility to mitigate ‘dangerous’ climate change, do we have authority to regulate
population growth as China has done? Is this moral and just in the face of climate change or does it impinge
upon our basic human rights?
3.
What is the best route to sustainable development? Do you side with the radicals or reformists? Can climate
mitigation efforts serve to alleviate poverty or do we first have to overthrow the capitalist world to make any
headway?
4.
Both articles discuss necessary political change in order to respond to climate change at an appropriate
magnitude, and the Nabhan article suggests comprehensive technical solutions. Which approach (political or
technical) is a more effective first step on a large scale?
5.
What are benefits to long-term change like the UN Development Agenda is on a large scale? What are the
benefits of small-scale technological or political solutions in a region?
6.
Are “imperative” issues subjective? The My World Survey shows that all demographic groups value education
over better healthcare, some value job opportunities over a transparent government, etc. What motivates
people to value certain development goals over others for themselves?
7.
What do you think causes the lack of interest amongst climate change scientists about the gender dimension
of climate change?

38. Additional Resources
The Gender Dimensions of Food and Nutrition
Security in the context of Climate Change - YouTube
Poverty & Equity Data | Home | The World Bank
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYv6XqPWnQE

39. Bibliography
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40. Bibliography
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