Huairou Commission 348d ago

Between June-August 2023, 20 member organizations of the Huairou Commission in Asia and Africa organised discussions with grassroots women’s groups and local communities to understand the long-term impacts of climate change. Grassroots women spoke about increasingly unpredictable weather patterns. Extreme events like cyclones, floods, droughts, fires, heatwaves and storms are occurring with higher frequency and intensity, now more than ever before, overwhelming their traditional coping systems. Women reported that disasters have impacted their food security, as farms and food stores were destroyed. Housing and infrastructure like roads and schools were damaged, and women and children had to live in unsafe conditions until they could rebuild. Basic services like electricity, clean water and toilets were difficult to access, leading to health problems and diseases. Loss of livelihoods, including shops, inventory and farms affected families’ ability to recover from disasters and affected their mental health. Some families had to migrate to new places, which affected their cultural heritage and often led to conflicts. Recovery was a long process. Community voices and experiences are often not included in global discussions on climate change induced losses and damages and financing. Though grassroots women’s groups are victims of climate change, they often drive community resilience building by using community financial mechanisms and implementing innovative practices that help build back better. Decision-makers must include their voices into the larger debate on Loss & Damage and Climate Adaptation and direct investments at the local level.