According to Germanwatch (2020), India is the seventh most climate-vulnerable country in the world as it is affected by various climate change-related rapid and slow onset disasters. In terms of climate impacts such as droughts, floods, sea level rise, glacial melting in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region, tropical cyclones etc., the country’s climate vulnerabilities are compounded by its socio-economic and political dynamics. India has introduced and implemented several policies on climate action (adaptation and mitigation) to respond to these challenges.

 

As coastal communities bear the brunt of climatic changes and extreme climatic events, gender becomes an important differentiator for the affected populations. Men and women are impacted differently by environmental degradation and climatic crises in coastal geographies.

 

The intersection of gender and climate crisis within coastal communities is critical since women are the most affected section, owing to existing gender inequities and their reliance on natural resources. Thus, the intersection between gender and environmental change must be probed and studied as climate change is not gender neutral. Policy recommendations regarding adoption of gender-adaptive measures, inclusion of women in the decision-making process of climate governance and creating empowered avenues for them by increasing their access to financial and educational resources in order to adapt better to climate change.

 

The objective of this webinar is to examine climate injustice and its disproportionate effect on women as well as the underrepresentation of women in climate change-related decision-making processes.

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Dhanasree is a Senior Assistant Professor, at the Department of Geopolitics and International Relations and Co-coordinator, at the Centre for Climate Studies, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), India.

She is also a Research Fellow, of the Earth System Governance Alliance; a Member of the Climate Security Expert Network; a Research Fellow of the Centre for Public Policy Research (India); a Non-resident Fellow of the Finnish Institute of International Affairs; Visiting Fellow, Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (India); and Associate, Network for Education and Research on Peace and Sustainability (Hiroshima University).

Dhanasree’s areas of research include environmental and climate security; climate diplomacy; environmental geopolitics in Southern Asia, Indo-Pacific, and polar regions; gender and climate governance; and geopolitical/security implications of solar geoengineering.

Sonakshi is an economist by training, is currently a Research Manager – Climate Adaptation at NIUA (National Institute of Urban Affairs). She holds an experience of 10 years working in the climate change and energy sector, cross-cutting through social and policy research and gender analysis.

She has been awarded various fellowships including the Professional Fellows for Governance and Society by the US Department of State and the International Climate Protection Fellowship by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany.

Aleena is an Research Associate of the International Relations vertical at the Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR), Kochi, Kerala, India. She is currently working on the Indian Coastal Think Tank Network project and had previously worked on a paper with Vice Admiral MP Muralidharn on the Global Security Implications of the Bay of Bengal.

Aleena has completed her Master’s in Politics and International Relations from Pondicherry University and Bachelor’s in Political Science (Hons) from Delhi University.