Empowering Women in a Climate-Changing World Through Climate-Resilient Energy Access (Lammers et al. 2024)
K. Lammers, C. Belmin, Z. Soomauroo, M. Hoffmann
Book chapter
The climate crisis is the most fundamental threat facing humanity today. In many cases, it disproportionately affects women, so progress on gender equality remains fragile. Reliable access to energy tends to make communities resilient to climate impacts and has distinct benefits for women’s well-being. Yet the specific role that energy access plays in reducing gender inequalities in the context of climate change has been poorly studied.
This chapter proposes a reflection on the triangular dynamic between climate change impacts, gender equality, and energy access. To do so, we provide a literature review on (i) the adverse effects of climate change on women, (ii) the role of energy access on climate resilience and gender equality, and (iii) climate-resilient energy systems. We identify three main specific benefits that energy access has on women’s empowerment in the context of climate change impacts: improved economic well-being, health, and agency. By linking our work to energy system planning, we argue that climate-resilient energy systems are critical in promoting gender equality in a climate-changing world.
This chapter calls for a holistic approach to energy planning, considering technical solutions while integrating social and gender aspects to enable building resilient and equitable communities.