Abstract
The climate crisis is the most fundamental threat facing humanity today. In many cases, it disproportionately affects women, so progress on gender equality remains fragile. Reliable access to energy tends to make communities resilient to climate impacts and has distinct benefits for women’s well-being. Yet the specific role that energy access plays in reducing gender inequalities in the context of climate change has been poorly studied. This chapter proposes a reflection on the triangular dynamic between climate change impacts, gender equality, and energy access. To do so, we provide a literature review on (i) the adverse effects of climate change on women, (ii) the role of energy access on climate resilience and gender equality, and (iii) climate-resilient energy systems. We identify three main specific benefits that energy access has on women’s empowerment in the context of climate change impacts: improved economic well-being, health, and agency. By linking our work to energy system planning, we argue that climate-resilient energy systems are critical in promoting gender equality in a climate-changing world. This chapter calls for a holistic approach to energy planning, considering technical solutions while integrating social and gender aspects to enable building resilient and equitable communities.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Aggarwal, R., Netanyahu, S., & Romano, C. (2001). Access to natural resources and the fertility decision of women: The case of South Africa. Environment and Development Economics, 6(2), 209–236. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1355770X01000122
Ahlborg, H. (2017). Towards a conceptualisation of power in energy transitions. Environmental Innovation and Societal Transitions, 25, 122–141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eist.2017.01.004
Aipira, C., Kidd, A., & Morioka, K. (2017). Climate change adaptation in pacific countries: Fostering resilience through gender equality. In Climate change adaptation in pacific countries (pp. 225–239). Springer.
Angula, M. N. (2010). Gender and climate change: Namibia case study. (Tech. Rep.). Heinrich Böll Stiftung.
Asian Development Bank. (2013). Guidelines for climate proofing investment in the energy sector. https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/institutional-document/33896/files/guidelines-climate-proofing-investment-energy-sector.pdf
Azhar, G. S., Mavalankar, D., Nori-Sarma, A., Rajiva, A., Dutta, P., Jaiswal, A., Sheffield, P., Knowlton, K., & Hess, J. J. (2014). Heat-related mortality in India: excess all-cause mortality associated with the 2010 Ahmedabad heat wave. PLoS One, 9(3), e91831.
Belmin, C., Hoffmann, R., Pichler, P.-P., & Weisz, H. (2021). Fertility transition powered by women’s access to electricity and modern cooking fuels. Nature Sustainability, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-021-00830-3
Best, S. (2014). Growing power: Exploring energy needs in small-holder agriculture. International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), Discussion Paper April 2014. https://pubs.iied.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/migrate/16562IIED.pdf
Brooks, N., Aure, E., & Whiteside, M. (2014). Final report: Assessing the impact of (ICF) programmes on household and community resilience to climate variability and climate change (Tech. Rep.). Department for International Development (DFID). https://doi.org/10.12774/eod_cr.june2014.brooksetal
Cecelski, E. (2000). The role of women in sustainable energy development. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Energy, Environment & Development, NREL/SR-550-26889. https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy00osti/26889.pdf
Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES). (2021). Climate resilience portal. Online Portal. https://www.c2es.org/content/climate-resilience-overview/
Chigwanda, E. (2016). A framework for building resilience to climate change through girls’ education programming. Center for Universal Education at Brookings.
Cianconi, P., Betrò, S., & Janiri, L. (2020). The impact of climate change on mental health: A systematic descriptive review. Frontiers in psychiatry, 11, 74.
Commission on the Status of Women. (2008). Gender perspectives on climate change. Retrieved from http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/csw52/issuespapers/Gen-der%20and%20climate%20change%20paper%20final.pdf
Corner, L. (1997). Women’s participation in decision-making and leadership—A global perspective. In Conference on Women in Decision-Making in Cooperatives—Asian Women in Co-operative Development Forum (ACWF). https://iknowpolitics.org/sites/default/files/decision-making26leadership_global.pdf
D’Ippoliti, D., Michelozzi, P., Marino, C., de’Donato, F., Menne, B., Katsouyanni, K., Kirchmayer, U., Analitis, A., Medina-Ramón, M., Paldy, A., Atkinson, R., Kovats, S., Bisanti, l., Schneider, A., Lefranc, A., Iniguez, C., & Perucci, C. (2010). The impact of heat waves on mortality in 9 European cities: results from the EuroHEAT project. Environmental Health, 9(1), 1–9.
Das, I., Klug, T., Krishnapriya, P., Plutshack, V., Saparapa, R., Scott, S., Sills, E., Jeuland, M., Kara, N., & Pattanayak, S. (2020). A virtuous cycle? Reviewing the evidence on women’s empowerment and energy access, frameworks, metrics and methods. Energy Access Project.
Deere, C. D., & Doss, C. R. (2006). The gender asset gap: What do we know and why does it matter? Feminist Economics, 12(1–2), 1–50.
DFID. (2011). Defining disaster resilience: A DFID approach paper (Tech. Rep.). Department for International Development (DFID) London UK. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/186874/definingdisaster-resilience-approach-paper.pdf
Dinkelman, T. (2011). The effects of rural electrification on employment: New evidence from South Africa. American Economic Review, 101(7), 3078–3108. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.101.7.3078
Duflo, E. (2012). Women empowerment and economic development. Journal of Economic Literature, 50(4), 1051–1079. https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.50.4.1051
Eastin, J. (2018). Climate change and gender equality in developing states. World Development, 107, 289–305. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2018.02.021
Ebinger, J., & Vergara, W. (2011). Climate impacts on energy systems. World Bank. https://doi.org/10.1596/978-0-8213-8697
Enarson, E. P., et al. (2000). Gender and natural disasters. ILO Geneva.
Ferroukhi, R., Nagpal, D., Lopez-Peña, A., Hodges, T., Mohtar, R. H., Daher, B., Mohtar, S., & Keulertz, M. (2015). Renewable energy in the water, energy & food nexus (Tech. Rep.). IRENA.
Flatø, M., Muttarak, R., & Pelser, A. (2017). Women, weather, and woes: The triangular dynamics of female-headed households, economic vulnerability, and climate variability in South Africa. World Development, 90, 41–62.
Fouillet, A., Rey, G., Laurent, F., Pavillon, G., Bellec, S., Guihenneuc-Jouyaux, C., Clavel, J., Jougla, E., & Hémon, D. (2006). Excess mortality related to the August 2003 heat wave in France. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 80(1), 16–24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-006-0089-4
GEA. (2012). Global energy assessment. Cambridge University Press. https://ideas.repec.org/b/cup/cbooks/9780521182935.html
Gippner, O., Dhakal, S., & Sovacool, B. K. (2012). Microhydro electrification and climate change adaptation in Nepal: Socioeconomic lessons from the Rural Energy Development Program (REDP). Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 18(4), 407–427. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-012-9367-5
Global Climate Action. (2020). Climate action pathway, climate resilience, executive summary (Tech. Rep.). United Nation FCCC. Retrieved from https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/ExecSumm_resilience_0.pdf
Global Gender and Climate Alliance. (2016). Gender and climate change: A closer look at existing evidence (Tech. Rep.). https://wedo.org/gender-and-climate-change-a-closer-look-at-existing-evidence-ggca/
Grogan, L., & Sadanand, A. (2013). Rural electrification and employment in poor countries: Evidence from Nicaragua. World Development, 43, 252–265. https://econpapers.repec.org/article/eeewdevel/v_3a43_3ay_3a2013_3ai_3ac_3ap_3a252-265.htm
Heslin, A., Deckard, N. D., Oakes, R., & Montero-Colbert, A. (2019). Displacement and resettlement: Understanding the role of climate change in contemporary migration. In Loss and Damage from Climate Change (pp. 237–258). Springer.
Hoffmann, R., & Blecha, D. (2020). Education and disaster vulnerability in Southeast Asia: Evidence and policy implications. Community, Environment and Disaster Risk Management, 12(4), 1401. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12041401
Hoffmann, R., & Muttarak, R. (2017). Learn from the past, prepare for the future: Impacts of education and experience on disaster preparedness in the Philippines and Thailand. World Development, 96, 32–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2017.02.016
IEA. (2014). World Energy Outlook 2014.
IEA. (2017). Energy Access Outlook 2017. https://www.iea.org/reports/energy-access-outlook-2017providing-energy-access-for-all-by-2030
IPCC. (2014a). Climate Change 2014: Impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability. Part B: Regional aspects. Contribution of Working Group II to the fifth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel of climate change. In Barros, V. R. et al. (Eds.), (pp. 1327–1370). Cambridge University Press. https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/2018/02/WGIIAR5-PartB_FINAL.pdf
IPCC. (2014b). Climate Change 2014: Mitigation of climate change. Contribution of Working Group III to the fifth assessment report of the intergovernmental panel on climate change (Tech. Rep.). http://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg3/
Jackson, C. (2003). Gender analysis of land: Beyond land rights for women? Journal of Agrarian Change, 3(4), 453–480.
Jerneck, A. (2018). What about gender in climate change? Twelve feminist lessons from development. Sustainability, 10(3), 627.
Juran, L., & Trivedi, J. (2015). Women, gender norms, and natural disasters in Bangladesh. Geographical Review, 105(4), 601–611.
Kabeer, N. (1999). Resources, agency, achievements: Reflections on the measurement of women’s empowerment. Development and Change, 30(3), 435–464.
Kabisch, N., Korn, H., Stadler, J., & Bonn, A. (Eds.). (2017). Nature-based solutions to climate change adaptation in urban areas. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56091-5
Kuvare, U., Maharero, T., & Kamupingene, G. (2008). Research on farming systems change to enable adaptation to climate change (Tech. Rep.).
Kwauk, C., Cooke, J., Hara, E., & Pegram, J. (2019). Girls’ education in climate strategies. Opportunities for improved policy and enhanced action in nationally determined contributions (Tech. Rep.).
La Ferrara, E., Chong, A., & Duryea, S. (2012). Soap operas and fertility: Evidence from Brazil. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 4(4), 1–31. https://doi.org/10.1257/app.4.4.1
Lammers, K., Bertheau, P., & Blechinger, P. (2020). Exploring requirements for sustainable energy supply planning with regard to climate resilience of Southeast Asian islands. Energy Policy, 146, 111770. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2020.111770
Lau, J. D., Kleiber, D., Lawless, S., & Cohen, P. J. (2021). Gender equality in climate policy and practice hindered by assumptions. Nature Climate Change, 11(3), 186–192. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-021-00999-7
Lieu, J., Sorman, A. H., Johnson, O. W., Virla, L. D., & Resurrección, B. P. (2020). Three sides to every story: Gender perspectives in energy transition pathways in Canada, Kenya and Spain. Energy Research & Social Science, 68, 101550. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2020.101550
Listo, R. (2018). Gender myths in energy poverty literature: A critical discourse analysis. Energy Research & Social Science, 38, 9–18.
Litt, J. (2008). Getting out or staying put: An African American women’s network in evacuation from Katrina. NWSA Journal, 20(3), 32–48.
Mahat, I. (2006). Gender and rural energy technologies: Empowerment perspective. A case study of Nepal. Canadian Journal of Development Studies / Revue canadienne d’études du développement, 27(4), 531–550. https://doi.org/10.1080/02255189.2006.9669172
McCollum, D. L., Echeverri, L. G., Busch, S., Pachauri, S., Parkinson, S., Rogelj, J., Krey, V., Minx, J. C., Nilsson, M., & Riahi, K. (2018). Connecting the sustainable development goals by their energy inter-linkages. Environmental Research Letters, 13(3), 033006. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aaafe3
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) International. (2005). The crushing burden of rape: Sexual violence in darfur. https://www.msf.org/crushing-burden-rape-sexual-violence-darfur
Nathwani, J., & Kammen, D. M. (2019). Affordable energy for humanity: A global movement to support universal clean energy access. Proceedings of the IEEE, 107(9), 1780–1789.
Neumayer, E., & Plümper, T. (2007). The gendered nature of natural disasters: The impact of catastrophic events on the gender gap in life expectancy, 1981–2002. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 97(3), 551–566.
OECD, & IEA. (2016). Energy and air pollution: World Energy Outlook special report 2016.
Pearl-Martinez, R. (2020). Global trends impacting gender equality in energy access. IDS Bulletin, 51(1), 7–26.
Pelz, S. (2020). Impacts of grid electricity access on rural non-farm entrepreneurship and employment in Ethiopia and Nigeria. http://pure.iiasa.ac.at/id/eprint/16938/
Perera, N., Boyd, E., Wilkins, G., & Itty, R. P. (2015). Literature review on energy access and adaptation to climate change (Tech. Rep.). Evidence on Demand. https://doi.org/10.12774/eod_cr.may2015.pereran
Pueyo, A., Carreras, M., & Ngoo, G. (2020). Exploring the linkages between energy, gender, and enterprise: Evidence from Tanzania. World Development, 128, 104840. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2019.104840
Rahman, M., & Ghosh, S. (2016). Increasing resilience by the participatory planning approach. In Construction research congress 2016. American Society of Civil Engineers. https://doi.org/10.1061/9780784479827.154
Raney, T. (2011). The state of food and agriculture. Women in Agriculture: Closing the Gap for Development, 2.
Rao, N. (2019). From abandonment to autonomy: Gendered strategies for coping with climate change, Isiolo County, Kenya. Geoforum, 102, 27–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2019.03.017
Rao, N., Mishra, A., Prakash, A., Singh, C., Qaisrani, A., Poonacha, P., Vincent, K., & Bedelian, C. (2019). A qualitative comparative analysis of women’s agency and adaptive capacity in climate change hotspots in Asia and Africa. Nature Climate Change, 9(12), 964–971. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-019-0638-y
Rao, N., Singh, C., Solomon, D., Camfield, L., Sidiki, R., Angula, M., Poonacha, P., Sidibé, A., & Lawson, E. T. (2020). Managing risk, changing aspirations and household dynamics: Implications for well-being and adaptation in semi-arid Africa and India. World Development, 125, 104667.
Rewald, R. (2017). Energy and women and girls: Analysing the needs, uses, and impacts of energy on women and girls in the developing world. Oxfam Research Backgrounder Series.
Rey, G., Jougla, E., Fouillet, A., Pavillon, G., Bessemoulin, P., Frayssinet, P., Clavel, J., & Hémon, D. (2007). The impact of major heat waves on all-cause and cause-specific mortality in France from 1971 to 2003. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 80(7), 615–626.
Rosenberg, M., Armanios, D. E., Aklin, M., & Jaramillo, P. (2020). Evidence of gender inequality in energy use from a mixed-methods study in India. Nature Sustainability, 3(2), 110–118. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-019-0447-3
Rotondi, V., Kashyap, R., Pesando, L. M., Spinelli, S., & Billari, F. C. (2020). Leveraging mobile phones to attain sustainable development. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(24), 13413–13420. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1909326117
Schaeffer, R., Szklo, A. S., de Lucena, A. F. P., Borba, B. S. M. C., Nogueira, L. P. P., Fleming, F. P., Troccoli, A., Harrison, M., & Boulahya, M. S. (2012). Energy sector vulnerability to climate change: A review. Energy, 38(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2011.11.056
S. Giri, Y. M. (2011). Using mobile phones to reduce the adversities of climate change in rural Nepal (Case Study), ICTs and agricultural adaptation to climate change. Practical Action Nepal Office.
Standal, K., & Winther, T. (2016). Empowerment through energy? Impact of electricity on care work practices and gender relations. Forum for Development Studies, 43(1), 27–45. https://doi.org/10.1080/08039410.2015.1134642
Stober, D., Suškevičs, M., Eiter, S., Müller, S., Martinát, S., & Buchecker, M. (2021). What is the quality of participatory renewable energy planning in Europe? A comparative analysis of innovative practices in 25 projects. Energy Research & Social Science, 71, 101804. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2020.101804
Stuart, C. (2017). Energy and climate change adaptation in developing countries (Tech. Rep.). E.U. Energy Initiative Partnership Dialogue Facility.
Toulemon, L., & Barbieri, M. (2008). The mortality impact of the August 2003 heat wave in France: Investigating the ‘harvesting’ effect and other long-term consequences. Population Studies, 62(1), 39–53.
U.N. Gender Perspectives. (2008). Integrating disaster and risk reduction into climate change adaptation. United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, Geneva, Switzerland, 1–87.
UNDP. (2020). Issues brief: Resilient livelihoods & value chain development. UNDP. https://www.undp.org/publications/undp-issue-brief-resilient-livelihoods-value-chains
UNDRR. (2021). Nature-based solutions for disaster risk reduction—Words into action (Tech. Rep.). https://www.undrr.org/words-action-nature-based-solutions-disaster-risk-reduction
United Nations. (2020). Affordable and clean energy: Why it matters. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/7_Why-It-Matters-2020.pdf
van Daalen, K., Jung, L., Dhatt, R., & Phelan, A. L. (2020). Climate change and gender-based health disparities. The Lancet Planetary Health, 4(2), e44–e45.
Vyas, Y., Knill, P., Foy, T., Harrold, M., Steele, P., Tanner, T., Hirsch, D., Oostermann, M., Rooimans, J., Debois, M., Lamin, M., Liptow, H., Mausolf, E., Verheyen, R., Agrawala, S., Caspary, G., Paris, R., Kashyap, A., Sharma, A., Mathur, A., Sharma, M., & Sperling, F. (2009). Poverty and climate change. Reducing the vulnerability of the poor through adaptation (Tech. Rep.). World Bank.
Walker, B., Holling, C. S., Carpenter, S. R., & Kinzig, A. (2004). Resilience, adaptability and transformability in social-ecological systems. Ecology and Society. https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol9/iss2/art5/
Wang, Y., Chen, X., & Ren, S. (2019). Clean energy adoption and maternal health: Evidence from China. Energy Economics, 84, 104517. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2019.104517
World Health Organization and Others. (2014). Gender, climate change and health. World Health Organization.
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful for the financial support of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, the Reiner Lemoine Foundation, and TUB PAS scholarship. The authors kindly thank Ulli Lich for her helpful comments and feedback on the manuscript. And most importantly, let us acknowledge all the powerful women surrounding us and acknowledge the power in ourselves—the power that only we are ... able to rouse.
“I raise up my voice—not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard. We cannot all succeed when half of us are held back.”—Malala Yousafzai
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Lammers, K., Belmin, C., Soomauroo, Z., Hoffmann, M.M. (2024). Empowering Women in a Climate-Changing World Through Climate-Resilient Energy Access. In: Rocha Lawton, N., Forson, C. (eds) Women and the Energy Sector. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43091-6_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-43091-6_5
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-43090-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-43091-6
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)