Women across the world are disproportionately affected by climate change. 

BREAZE's Exec Officer Lisa Kendal recently had an opportunity to present at the Zonta Club of Ballarat's International Women's Day event.  Her presentation was called "Why women in a changing world?" and looked at how the world is changing, how these changes are affecting women and why women are well placed to be powerful agents of change.

A few startling stastics:

• In general people in developing countries, who are least responsible for climate change, are most affected by it.

• Women contribute less to global warming, yet will be hit harder by its effects

• Women represent 70% of the world’s poorest people, mostly in communities that are highly dependent on local natural resources for their livelihood and are disproportionately vulnerable to and affected by climate change.

• Women are 14 times more likely to die in a natural disaster.  In 2004 Asian Tsunami 70% of deaths were women.  In the 1991 Bangladeshi cyclone around 90% of all deaths were women - totaling approximately 126,000 people!

To read Lisa's presentation click here.

If you would like to know more about how women in Australia can reduce our carbon footprint, have a look at the One Million Women Climate Coolers campaign and take action to reduce emissions in your life!

Here is some more information about women and climate change.

Some are more international, while many themes found overseas are presenting themselves as very real and relevant for women in Australia:

Unifem - United Nations Developement Fund for Women

http://www.unifem.org.au/Content%20Pages/Resources/gender-climate-change

Science Alert - Gender, climate change and natural disasters

http://www.sciencealert.com.au/opinions/20080502-16850-2.html

WENA - Women's Environment Network Australia

We Do - Women's Environment & Development Organisation

http://www.gendercc.net/  - The gendercc platform for information, knowledge, and networking on gender and climate change.

More Australian based info:

Centre for Policy Development - Is Australia's Climate Policy Gender Literate?
http://cpd.org.au/article/is-australias-climate-policy-gender-literate

Gender, Leadership and Social Sustainability (GLASS) Research Unit, Monash University
Women, Leadership and Climate Change National Forum, November 2009