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 Debates around climate change need to focus more on governance, integrating institutions and addressing gender inequalities than just advocating market-based technical solutions, says Dr Sara Ahmed. Here's SouthAsia's interesting QA with her:
How do you view climate change from a women's perspective?
Sara Ahmed: I see it more from a vulnerability perspective. It is a question that intersects with women, poverty and vulnerability. However, I look at it from the institutional, social, political and economic perspectives than just from a gender lens.
Access to clean and safe water remains a major challenge in many developing countries. As climate change adds to the existing woes, what potential do you see in women's management of water resources?
SA: In India through panchayats, pani samitis and other such bodies and programmes, women are already involved in the management of water. However, despite women's presence in various committees, their active participation, visibility and articulation remain very limited. More so, they are assigned only the ‘womanly' tasks and responsibilities like care-giving, household chores, cleaning, etc. Thus, they are involved in many of these things but not necessarily in the decision-making process. They are not consulted about building water-related infrastructure or about the appropriate water fee to be charged. Take agriculture for example. Currently women are not any role at all worth mentioning in irrigation management. They are also not consulted in deciding the crops to be grown. It is, therefore, pertinent to locate women's role in agriculture as well.
It has been observed that gender concerns have not been adequately addressed at the international negotiating tables. How can the issue be lobbied for?
SA: Women's networks and advocacy groups have been vociferously talking about climate and gender justice. Since Bali climate conference in 2007 and then in Poznan last year, the gender climate change network and the global gender climate alliance, along with various other networks, have been doing a lot of lobbying to ensure that there is gender-sensitive text, at least, in some of the declarations and documents that are coming.
What women's groups are saying is that the concepts of sustainable development that began to evolve after the Rio summit in 1992 must be taken into account. Unfortunately, today the debates around climate change are restricted to seeking solutions only in terms of setting emissions targets, CDMs, carbon trading, etc. These are all market-based technical solutions, which are not going to take us very far. Women's groups are demanding 10% of the global adaptation plan fund for women's empowerment and their greater involvement at the grassroots level. They are also asking for gender-sensitive technical solutions for mitigation and adaptation. The water and natural resource management sectors are currently male-dominated. Participation of women in various negotiations and processes also has to be ensured. I have heard that this year at Copenhagen, gender will be a focal point. So it is beginning to happen but there is still a long way to go.
What are the different gender-sensitive criteria and indicators specifically related to India that must be incorporated into climate change policies and programmes?
SA: I think a lot of work needs to be done on identifying indicators - both qualitative and quantitative. India has lots of disaster-risk management committees but they need to be made gender-sensitive. On public level, it is important to understand the needs of women that arise from the changes in climate to be able to incorporate those criteria in policies and programmes.
How can such civil society initiatives effectively engage women from different social groups in priority setting and development of interventions most relevant to their situations?
SA: Such initiatives offer a platform to women to voice their concerns and priorities. We can only hope that those voices are heard by the people sitting in corridors of power, who make decisions regarding development policies. The other function that these kinds of platforms perform is to provide an opportunity to men and women to learn from each other. What we need for women and men at the local levels is downscaling climate modelling. These kinds of forum are good at encouraging dialogue between poor women and scientists and policymakers.
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