'Climate change hits women hardest, funding support inadequate'

New Delhi: Climate change has serious impacts from a gender perspective, yet the capital flowing toward supporting women affected by it represents only a small fraction of what is required, a top representative of the United Nations Global Compact Network India (UNGCNI) said.

Vaishali Nigam Sinha, president of UNGCNI, emphasised the need to recognise the vital role women play in climate-related disaster management and to reduce the impacts of climate change on their lives through targeted investment.

"During climate-related disasters, women are significantly more likely to be affected. It is important to protect and support women when addressing climate-related impacts. However, when we look at the capital flowing toward helping women affected by climate change, it is only a small fraction of what is required -- about 10 per cent," Sinha told PTI.

In 2025, a UN women report warned that under a worst-case climate scenario, up to 158.3 million more women and girls may live in extreme poverty globally as a result of climate change by 2050. Highlighting the plight of women in rural regions, she noted that those working in farming or similar jobs are often unrecognised and unpaid, yet are directly affected by extreme heat, particularly in regions such as Rajasthan and Gujarat, which impacts their mental health, livelihoods, and many other aspects of their lives. The UNGCNI president also pointed out the practical challenges women face on the ground. "In the renewable energy sector, for women to work on sites, hospitals andproper sanitation facilities (for both men and women) are essential."