CHALLENGE 2. Gender Equality and Climate Change

 CHALLENGE NUMBER 2: Gender Equality and Climate Change

#LiteracyApproach #LiteracyisforLife

This challenge will help you to understand what gender (in)equality looks like in climate change.

GOAL: To recognise gender inequality in the students’ immediate environment and connect it to broader climate-related issues (e.g., girls’ access to education → climate adaptation). This project is about co-education and real context analysis.

Core literacy skills:

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  Observing local context

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  Role-play

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  Writing reflective paragraphs

Girls and women are affected by climate change in different ways than boys and men. This happens because, in many places, girls and women have not always had the same chances, power, or opportunities to make decisions or take action. This can make it harder for them to help lead solutions to climate change.

Climate change and inequality are connected in a harmful cycle. People who have done the least to cause climate change (such as poorer communities and countries) often suffer the most from its effects. These effects can include very strong storms, not enough food or clean water, and more health problems. When this happens, life becomes even harder, and more people may fall into poverty.

On the other hand, richer people and countries usually have more money and resources to protect themselves and deal with climate change. They have also produced more pollution in the past, which has helped cause the problem.

TASK 0. Warm-up “What Does Fair Look Like?”

You must list spaces in school or in our town where fairness appears… or disappears.

READING (the text has been adapted from this one).

Climate change affects girls and women differently from boys and men because gender inequality gives them fewer opportunities and more responsibilities in daily life. Many women must collect food, water, and fuel and care for their families, which makes climate problems harder for them. There are five important facts about gender equality and climate change:

1. First, women often find it harder to leave places affected by disasters because they care for family members, have less money, or do not own land. Even when they move, they may face dangers like unemployment or violence.
2. Second, women face higher health risks. Climate change can increase hunger, disease, and stress, and pregnant women can have more health problems.
3. Third, women who protect the environment sometimes suffer harassment, threats, or violence to silence them.
4. Fourth, women are still underrepresented in climate decision-making. Many leadership and negotiation roles are mostly held by men, so women’s needs are not always considered.
5. Fifth, organisations led by women receive very little climate funding, even though women often have strong knowledge about their environment and useful ideas for solutions.

In conclusion, women are strongly affected by climate change but are also important leaders in protecting the planet. Increasing their participation, support, and funding is necessary to create fair and effective climate solutions for everyone.

TASK 0.1. Complete the WORKSHEET about the text.

TASK 1. Writing Mini-Texts: “Gender & Climate: Hidden Connections”

Write a short text explaining how inequality affects climate resilience.

TASK 2. WATCH THE VIDEOS AND TAKE NOTES.

Where do you see equality/inequality? WRITE a Micro-product: “Climate Fairness Report”

Final micro-product: A short written reflection on the videos including:

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  One example of equality

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  One example of inequality

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  Why it matters for their community

Word bank: Use terms like “opportunity,” “access,” “bias,” “fairness”.