The newly launched Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 6th Assessment Report shows a quantum of risk to humanity due to our lack of action on climate change. We are all vulnerable, particularly young people and even more critically, young girls. Due to pre-existing gender roles, cultural norms and systematic inequalities, girls and women suffer multiple threats from climate impacts. For instance, through the Water for Adaptation project which I am implementing in Northern sector of Ghana through the Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO), we realized that 66.7% of girls miss a week of school every month in Kurugu community due to water scarcity arising from climate change. In their quest to access potable drinking water, some girls become victims of security threats, abuse, and harassment.
As a young leader, I am committed to empowering both men and women in decision-making positions to identify with the unique vulnerabilities of women and invest in gender-sensitive climate action. At GAYO, we have a gender-balanced hiring and project design policy which ensures that every project has an equal number of male and female beneficiaries. Often, we must extend application deadlines and project duration to accommodate for the limited number of female applicants. This shows the lack of opportunities for young girls to increase their capacity within the climate and environmental professional fields, as well as the inaccessibility of professional opportunities including internships, jobs, and training programs.
In mitigating climate change and adaptating to its’s impact in Africa, gender inclusion is a necessity to ensure a viable economic transformation while protecting ecological and natural resources that our economies rely on. Hence, a paradigm shift is needed to ensure inclusion, accessibility and support from everyone – policy makers, private sector, development agencies, educational institutions, and traditional leaders –to break the inequalities related to women and climate action. In doing so, we need to recognize the expertise of girls and women and meaningfully consult them on issues that matters the most to them.
Bio: Joshua Amponsem is a climate activist who focuses on the role of youth in climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and resilience building. He is an author, researcher and entrepreneur in the field of climate change and community development.