It was perhaps a very chilly morning in the winter of 2007—one of those days when you do not want to come out of your bed as the very bare
It was my summer semester break, and I was visiting my home in Pakistan. I relished the delicious food my mother made every day when I noticed that she got sick from the hot one day, and even then, she continued working in the kitchen. Summers in Pakistan are blazing hot, with severe electricity shortages, and the temperature often exceeds 40°C (104°F). Middle-class families cannot afford the luxury of having an air-conditioner in their kitchens, thus making the kitchen the hottest room. While the less privileged people can hardly afford the perk of having an air-conditioner in their homes, one can imagine the dire conditions in which women work. My mother’s condition made me wonder why a woman working at home does not enjoy the same benefits as any office worker.
The climate crisis affects everyone, but it does not affect everyone equally. Women, who already make up the majority of the world’s poor, are at the forefront of facing disproportionate impacts of the climate crisis. UN figures note that 80% of the people displaced by climate change are women (Halton, 2018). There remain several intersecting factors that exacerbate the consequences of the climate crisis for women: they make up the majority of people living in poverty, they are burdened with the responsibility of looking after their families and their lives are often rendered unimportant as compared to males. The feminist circles and movements have, therefore, placed patriarchy as one of the root causes of the climate crisis, and this puts climate justice as a global feminist issue.
Empower Change, support Our Community's Vision!
Empower Change, support Our Community's Vision!
Empower Change, support Our Community's Vision!
