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; 
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•HCON 84 IH 
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-
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•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 
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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 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress— 
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•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— 
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•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. 
Æ 
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