Women and Nature have always been equated in the past and societies, which initially revered both as Gods, have dominated and exploited them in every possible manner for their own selfish interests and convenience. The recognition of this close relationship between women and nature is evident in ancient texts, folklore, values and belief of almost every region of the world varying from Greek to Indian religious philosophy. The nature, its forces and components have been referred to as female, primarily, because of the biological aspect of reproduction and other qualities of nurturing, caring, balancing and being forgiving; which qualities are attributed to women as natural. This practice of drawing parallels between nature and women has given birth to another line of though knows as Ecofeminism.

The term Ecofeminism was coined by French feminist Francois d’Eaubonne in the 1970s and has been used by feminist scholars and activists in emphasising on the power and dominance relations in the society. They locate the exploitation of environment in the same patriarchal set-up of societies which resulted in dominance of women by men or dominance of upper class/caste/race on others. This philosophy presents women as conservers and protectors of nature because of their immediate association with it. One of the earliest writings on Eco-feminism can be found in Begum RokeyaSakhawatHossain’s short story “Sultana’s Dream” which was published in 1905 in the Indian Ladies’ Magazine, Madras. The narrator in her story dreams of a Lady land where men are put in purdah and secluded from the activities of the state. RokeyaSakhawatHossain imagined a reversal of patriarchy, a fantasy land where women had come out of zenana, educated themselves and successfully maintained peace and order in society with their intellectual prowess. One distinctive feature of this all women world is that women are living in a striking harmony with nature. Lush green gardens with skilfully arranged plants cover the land, houses have kitchen gardens and use of coal and fire have been replaced by solar energy.This is how close women are to nature and more so therural women. Thus, Ecofeminism calls for active engagement of women in saving the environment by focussing on gender inclusive policies.

Bina Agarwal summarises the arguments of Ecofeminists in four clear points. Firstly, the domination and oppression of women is closely similar to the domination and exploitation of environment. Secondly, women are identified as closer to nature while it is men who are the originators of culture to be followed by all. Hence women and nature are placed below the culture which is essentially a male-culture. Thirdly, as the dominance of women as well as nature has happened at the hands of men, it is the women who have a higher stake in protecting the nature against activities of men. Fourthly, both feminist and environment movements stand against egalitarian and non-hierarchical systems which favours the view that they should work together to evolve a common perspective, theory and practice. The discourse on Ecofeminism calling out for women to be made the centre of environment schemes is also closely related with the problem of Intersectionality which makes their position even worse. In 1989, Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw advocated that women’s dominance by men is intersected by many other factors apart from sexual superiority. According to the theory of Intersectionality, women’s vulnerability to climate changes and disasters and their lack of representation in environmental decisions is not only the result of gender discrimination but also the intersection of identity categories of class, caste, colour, race etc. So, a rural or tribal woman in India being at the end of hierarchy is also affected by identity politics combined with gender inequality.

Women’s Vulnerability to Climate Change

In order to understand how women are more vulnerable to climate change, it becomes imperative to know their dependence on natural surroundings. The traditional gendered roles attributed to women make them the caretakers and keepers of household. Women are responsible for arrangement and storage of food and drinking water. Rural women in developing countries are considered more dependent on natural resources for their livelihoods; they do most of the agricultural work, and are responsible for collecting water and fuel. The natural resources and organic wastes collected by women are used to supplement the daily household needs and also for selling them in local markets either because of their medicinal properties or in the form of indigenous crafts. Rural women’s dependency on environment arises out of gendered divisions of labour and limited access and control over economic resources. While men own the land, women work on the farm. Women make up the majority of farmers, but only 1% of them worldwide own land. While men move to the urban areas to search for jobs, women stay back and take care of family. Thus, rural and landless women are closely associated with environment as they have no other means to provide for their family other than to depend on the natural sources around them for subsistence.

It follows from the above discussion that women have an interest in conserving and protecting the environment because of their dependency upon it. This increased reliance of women on their natural surroundings also makes them more vulnerable to any of the climate changes and environment degradation. The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992) defines “Climate change” as a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods. Climate change results in drying of rivers, desertification, deforestation, spread of diseases, floods, cyclones etc. These changes affect women’s lives adversely. Increased climate variability makes agriculture unpredictable, and continuing desertification in some regions leads to scarcity of domestic fuel. In urban areas, climate changes further increase the problems of poor women as they become exposed to health problems and diseases such as Malaria, and water shortages. Further, it is important to note that climate change is not happening in a vacuum. Many trends intersect with it such as economic liberalization, globalization; population growth; conflict; and unpredictable government policies. These factors make the rural and tribal women, who stand at the lowest level of hierarchical setup, the most vulnerable.

The scholarly work in this area has observed that apart from physical proximity to natural environment, poverty and economic factors; non-economic factors also exacerbate the vulnerability of rural women in developing countries. The gender stereotypes that restrict women to their homes and cultural norms prevalent in the society contribute to their vulnerability. They become vulnerable to sexual violence in times of natural disasters; there is less emphasis on women’s education and their technical training; they have no political voice; failure of national policies to include them in decision making; and class and caste distinctions make their position even worse in adapting to climate change.

Role of Women in Climate Change

From the above discussion on women’s relationship with natural environment, one may be constrained to conclude that women are the worst affected ‘victims’ of climate change. However, there is other side to this story. Although, women are most vulnerable to changes in climate, considering the intersecting factors applicable, yet their role as critical agents of change cannot be undermined. Women have been recognised as the fundamental stakeholders in fighting against climate change. Their traditional roles constructing them as food and fuel gatherers and farm labourers have endowed them with special knowledge with respect to flaura and fauna of a region. Their knowledge of natural foods can help us expand our food options, thus, reducing the stress on conventional food sources. They can act as active agents in deciding the most effective adaptation and mitigation strategy as they have closely interacted with nature; and their interaction with nature has been mostly peaceful and harmonious as opposed to destructive commercialisation carried on by men.

The world has witnessed the role of women as protectors of environment in many fights undertaken by them against destruction and degradation of natural resources. In 1962, Rachel Carson’s book ‘Silent Spring’ gave birth to the environmental revolution by raising public awareness on the harmful effects of synthetic pesticide, especially DDT. WangariMathai’s Green Belt Movement,  the women’s struggle in Thailand to restore forests, Amrita Bai’s sacrifice of her life for saving the Khejri trees in Rajasthan, the largest mass movement by rural women to prevent the felling of trees in Uttarakhandi.eChipko Movement and MedhaPatkar’s fight to demand restoration of people being displaced by Narmada Dam, the Koel-Karo in Bihar, the Appiko movement of Karnataka, the protests against Silent Valley Project in Kerala and the protests against Tehri dam in Garhwal are few examples where women have fought for the conservation of environment. Thus, it is imperative that be part of decision making process and should have representation in environmental policies.

The importance of women in preserving environment, their different knowledge, needs and responsibilities was also recognised at the global institutional level by United Nations. The 2030 Agenda adopted the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 envisionsGender Equality as one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Under this goal of Gender Equality, all member nations are required to providewomen and girls with equal access to education, health care, decent work, and representation in political and economic decision-making processes which will fuel sustainable economies and benefit societies and humanity at large. Further the countries are to implement new legal frameworks regarding female equality in the workplace and the eradication of harmful practices targeted at women which is crucial to ending the gender-based discrimination prevalent in many countries around the world.

Environment Policies and Women- A Distant Dream?

The intrinsic relation of women with nature, their role in environment conservation, their unique perspective based on their experiences and interactions with nature brings us to one concrete solution i.e. women’s representation at the policy making level. No environment policy or strategy can be successful unless it takes into account special problems faced by rural women in dealing with climate changes. This is also a necessity as to have a real impact, the policies need to aimed at the grass root level. That is where humans and nature are living as one. Further studies have shown that when given a place in law making bodies, women are found to give significantly greater priority than their male colleagues to laws and policies that promote women’s equality and empowerment, or that improve family welfare through health, education, childcare, housing, and other human services. Thus, including women in environment polices will make them realistic and better equipped to tackle the socio-economic factors that lead to women’s increased vulnerability to climate changes.

In this regard, note may be had of the 2018 Report published by United Nations Women to map the progress of nations in achieving the Goal of Gender Equality under 2030 Agenda as stated above. The Report recognises the importance of integrating a gender perspective into the implementation and monitoring of all the Sustainable Development Goals. However, the Report presents dismal picture. It shows that while women have made important inroads into political office across the world, their representation in national parliaments at 23.7 per cent is still far from parity, and women politicians and voters face threats and attacks, persistent sexual harassment and online abuse. Thus it is evident that the inclusion of women in the village level councils and committees, even if it is made successful, won’t turn into national level policies as women are not seen as key partners in green governance.

Recommendations and Conclusion

The concepts of gender justice and climate change are inter-linked and unless and until adaptation techniques are made gender-responsive, the problem of climate change cannot be strategically handled. In modern times, it is not only the natural disasters that cause distress but a large number of people find themselves displaced due to rise in sea-level, drought, changes in temperatures, rise in pollution levels, war over fuel resources and many more factors that have a close link with human induced environment degradation. In these times, the rural women in developing countries are the ones who bear the brunt as they have limited options and means within the economic, socio-culture and political structure governing them.

However, women’s inclusion at the policy making level has now being recognised as the most effective solution to achieving gender equality and in turn sustainable development. We need policies to reduce gender based violence, for equal rights of women at work, for education of girls; policies strengthening the food security system and public medical treatments. The UN Women Report (2018) observes that when households don’t have access to sufficient food, it is the women who are more likely to remain hungry, and as a result mal-nourished. Women need sources of clean energy in their households, knowledge of sustainable agriculture and technological innovations and a say in decision making at the household and national level. Women’s participation at the community level meetings will help bring forth the problems that have direct consequence on their daily lives and hence the nature.

BY APOORVA TOMAR