"Many women, especially in third world and developing countries depend on the natural environment for subsistence and income."

Climate change often burdens women more than men because of their already limited access to physical, social, political and fiscal resources.

The report, which focuses on the effects of climate change on women, was released Tuesday at the UN Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa.

UNEP says that women living in mountainous regions in developing countries are particularly vulnerable.

In parts of Asia and Africa, where majority of farmers are females, climate disasters have a huge impact on their income, food security and health."

1. What I learned about this topic that most surprised me was the fact that climate has any stability on women, different genders, and gender inequality, and also the ability to give and take away women’s already limited power globally.

2. Today when the weather seems to me to be at “extremes” I throw on an extra sweater, or put my nice boots in the closet for another day, or maybe I even decide not to venture out into the weather at all, I might decide to stay in and hang out all day, avoiding the weather altogether, waiting for it to pass. When I see the weather and revaluate what I might do in the day, or what I might wear, I never think to compare my luxuries to women’s hardships around the world. When I’m sulking because my curls have all fallen from the humidity, another women is losing income or food due to bad conditions in fields of her farm, affecting her day to day life, and affecting her whole family and all her dependents, and the women and families around her.

3. A real life example of how this topic is relevant or interesting for me is the fact that environmental phenomenon’s are more and more frequent and more likely to happen. This really puts into perspective the fact that gender inequalities are up in the air and can change at any minute. After this course I already gained so much knowledge on just women’s inequalities in the world we live in today and different countries, and this shows how quickly things can change for women, either being positives or negatives.

4. I’m most likely to remember women in third world and developing countries when I’m here in Canada complaining about snow or rain or heat. The weather doesn’t directly affect me unless I’m outside in it. Now I’m realizing how much it can affect other people, especially women, and makes me more sympathetic then I already was for women facing inequalities on a day to day basis.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

"Climate Change and Gender." Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation Inc. December 13, 2013. Webpage. March 11, 2014.

"Women are at higher risk during climate disasters: UN" unmultimedia. United Nations, Dec. 6, 2011. Webpage. March 11, 2014.

"Aquila Magazine: Women and Climate Change." Arwa's Freelance Site. N.p. June 27, 2012. Webpage. March 11, 2014.

Parsons, Sarah. "Research Shows Climate Change Disproprtionately Affects Women." inhabitat. N.p. March 11, 2010. Webpage. March 11, 2014.