Climate change is one of the most pressing challenges facing our world today, and its impacts are felt disproportionately by women, particularly in vulnerable communities.
As climate change intensifies, women often bear the brunt of its effects, from increased food insecurity and displacement to health risks and economic instability. These challenges are exacerbated by existing gender inequalities, limiting women’s access to resources, decision-making processes, and recovery opportunities.
At the 3rd edition of the African Women’s Climate Assembly, organized by Light Synergy for Development in Senegal, women from 21 African countries, representing various associations, gathered for a week to discuss the consequences of climate change on their livelihoods, the effects of mining activities, and other related issues.
An officer with the Kebetkache Women Development & Resource Centre, a community gender-based non-governmental organization working in Nigeria and the African region to promote women’s rights and environmental justice, Idongesit Smart detailed the ravaging effects climate change is having on women and girls in Nigeria and what role women can play to mitigate it.