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Gender is an often discussed but neglected perspective of climate change. Migration is one adaptation strategy to climate change, and since women and men experience migration differently, a gendered perspective offers important guidance for the formulation of policies. It is obvious that gender plays a role in the development of migration policies and its importance was even recognized in the 2015 Paris Agreement. In Pacific Island states the impacts of climate change are already visible and local women are potentially more vulnerable compared to men. The United Nations University – Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) conducted participatory sessions with Pacific islanders in Kiribati, Tuvalu and Nauru, to supplement its household survey in the Pacific with further details on the perception of climate change and migration among women and men. Here, I delve into how this research contributes, amongst others, to the development of gendered migration policies in the context of Pacific climate change.
Pacific climate change impacts and the vulnerability of women
In the Pacific Climate Change and Migration (PCCM) project, UNU-EHS joined forces with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), as well as the University of the South Pacific (USP). The PCCM project shows that in the past decade, most households on the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Kiribati, Tuvalu and Nauru experienced impacts of climate change like incremental sea levels rise, saltwater intrusion and drought. UNU-EHS gathered in-depth information on key risks and problems as well as on potential solutions in participatory “Livelihood Risk Ranking Sessions”.
In a study on the linkages between gender and climate change in the Pacific, UNDP found in 2013 that the “degree to which people are affected by climate change impacts is partly a function of their […] gender”. The underlying reason, provided amongst others by the Women’s Environment & Development Organization and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), is that women are seen to be more vulnerable compared to men. This applies particularly to women living in coastal communities like the Pacific Island states, where agricultural land is sparse and natural resources like water are limited.
Migration of women and men as adaptation strategy
In the context of climate change, the PCCM project suggests labour migration as a way to diversify household income. The International Labour Organization (ILO) remarks, “with the increasing adverse impacts of climate change” it becomes more and more difficult to offer sufficient work opportunities for women and men on their respective islands. Therefore, migration offers an adaptation measure that allows another source of income under different environmental conditions. Mirjana Morokvasic’s view of migration as a “household’s strategy for survival” confirms migration as one way to create more resilient households. As the Head of the European Union Delegation for the Pacific,Ambassador Andrew Jacobs, explains, the IPCCstresses “it is clear that there is the potential for human movement as a response to climate change”.
https://ehs.unu.edu/blog/articles/gender-and-migra...
