Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1696584957059.pdf (United States)
IV 112TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. CON.

RES.

84 Recognizing the disparate impact of climate change on women and the efforts of women globally to address climate change.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NOVEMBER 3, 2011 Ms. LEE of California (for herself, Mr. CARNAHAN, Mr. HONDA, Mr. ISRAEL, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. PAYNE, Mrs. MALONEY, Ms. WOOLSEY, Ms. SPEIER, and Mrs. CAPPS) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Recognizing the disparate impact of climate change on women and the efforts of women globally to address climate change.
Whereas the month of March is recognized as Women’s His- tory Month, and was celebrated in 2011 in accordance with the theme ‘‘Our History is Our Strength’’, during which time our Nation highlights the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society; Whereas women in the United States and around the world are the linchpin of families and communities and are often the first to feel the immediate and adverse affects of social, environmental, and economic stresses on their families and communities Whereas the United Nations has recognized, as one of the central organizing principles for its work, that ‘‘no endur- ing solution to society’s most threatening social, economic and political problems can be found without the full par- ticipation, and the full empowerment, of the world’s women’’; Whereas the United Nations Development Programme 2011 Human Development Report has emphasized that pov- erty-stricken communities suffer the greatest harm from environmental degradation, requiring policies that recog- nize the human right to a healthy environment; Whereas climate change is already forcing vulnerable commu- nities in developing countries to face unprecedented cli- mate stress, including water scarcity and drought, severe weather events and floods, which can lead to reduced ag- ricultural productivity, food insecurity, and increased dis- ease; Whereas climate change exacerbates issues of scarcity and lack of accessibility to primary natural resources, forest resources, and arable land for food production, thereby contributing to increased conflict and instability, as well as the workload and stresses on women farmers, who are estimated to produce 60 to 80 percent of the food in most developing countries; Whereas women will disproportionately face harmful impacts from climate change, particularly in poor and developing
 nations where women regularly assume increased respon- sibility for growing the family’s food and collecting water, fuel, and other resources; Whereas infectious disease epidemics, such as malaria, are expected to worsen and spread due to variations in cli- •HCON 84 IH mate, putting women and children without access to pre- vention and medical services at risk; Whereas food insecure women with limited socioeconomic re- sources may be vulnerable to situations such as sex work, transactional sex, and early marriage that put them at risk for HIV, STIs, unplanned pregnancy, and poor re- productive health; Whereas conflict has a disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable populations including women, and is fueled in the world’s poorest regions by harsher climate, leading to migration, refugee crises, and conflicts over scarce nat- ural resources including land and water; Whereas it is predicted that climate change will lead to in- creasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather con- ditions, precipitating the occurrence of natural disasters around the globe; Whereas the direct and indirect effects of climate change have a disproportionate impact on marginalized women such as refugee and displaced persons, sexual minorities, religious or ethnic minorities, adolescent girls, and women and girls with disabilities and those who are HIV positive; Whereas recent studies indicate that women and children are 14 times more likely to die than men during natural dis- asters; Whereas the relocation and death of women, and especially mothers, as a result of climate-related disasters often has devastating impacts on social support networks, family ties, and the coping capacity of families and communities; Whereas women in the United States are also particularly af- fected by climate-related disasters, as
 evidenced in the •HCON 84 IH wake of Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast region, which displaced over 83 percent of low-income, single mothers; Whereas the ability of women to adapt to climate change is constrained by a lack of economic freedoms, property and inheritance rights, as well as access to financial re- sources, education, family planning and reproductive health, and new tools, equipment, and technology; Whereas, despite a unique capacity and knowledge to promote and provide for adaptation to climate change, women often have insufficient resources to undertake such adap- tation; Whereas women are shown to have a multiplier effect by using their income and resources, when given the nec- essary tools, to increase the well being of their children and families, and thus play a critical role in reducing food insecurity, poverty, and socioeconomic effects of cli- mate change; Whereas women are often underrepresented in the develop- ment and formulation of policy regarding adaptation to climate change, even though they are often in the best position to provide and consult on adaptive strategies; and Whereas the celebration of Women’s History Month, coin- ciding annually with International Women’s Day on March 8, serves as a yearly reminder of ongoing efforts to promote and protect the equal rights of women as well as their equal participation in the political and economic process: Now, therefore, be it 1 2 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That Congress— •HCON 84 IH (1) recognizes the disparate impacts of climate change on women and the efforts of women globally to address climate change; (2)
 encourages the use of gender-sensitive frameworks in developing policies to address climate change, which account for the specific impacts of cli- mate change on women; (3) recognizes the need for balanced participa- tion of men and women in climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts, including in governance posi- tions; (4) affirms its commitment to support women who are particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts to prepare for, build their resilience, and adapt to those impacts; (5) affirms its commitment to empower women to have a voice in the planning, design, implementa- tion, and evaluation of strategies to address climate change so that their roles and resources are taken into account; (6) affirms the commitment to include women in economic development planning, policies, and practices that directly improve conditions that result from climate change; and (7) encourages the President to— •HCON 84 IH (A) integrate a gender approach in all poli- cies and programs in the United States that are globally related to climate change; and (B) ensure that those policies and pro- grams support women globally to prepare for, build resilience for, and adapt to climate change.
•HCON 84 IH