The United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP31, will be held in Türkiye next November.
Ahead of the conference, the global body has called for girls’ health, education, and safety to be brought into the mainstream of climate policies and financing.
This is because women are among those most severely affected by the natural disasters and calam, UN climate chief Simon Stiell said that extreme temperatures are increasing risks for pregnant women and newborns.
According to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, around 33 countries in Western Europe, the Sahel region, and Central America experienced their hottest July on record this year.
It has been observed that higher temperatures in these countries are contributing to premature births among women. Many women are giving birth toities caused by climate change.
Two recent reports may be cited as evidence. For example, the Pre-COP conference began in Fiji last Monday. At the conference, UN climate chief Simon Stiell said that extreme temperatures are increasing risks for pregnant women and newborns.
It has also been observed that higher temperatures in these countries are contributing to premature births among women. Many women are giving birth to stillborn babies or babies with low birth weight. Extreme heat is also associated with various physical complications for mothers.
The picture described above is alarming. It shows that pregnancy and childbirth are emerging as a new area of vulnerability amid the global climate crisis. Julia Gillard, chair of Wellcome and former prime minister of Australia, went a step further, saying that extreme temperatures can be deadly for mothers and newborns.
Meanwhile, a report released to the media last Monday by Plan International found that climate-related disasters such as floods, droughts, cyclones, and extreme temperatures are increasing girls’ risks of child marriage, unintended pregnancy, and violence.
The report, titled Change Her Forecast: The State of the World’s Girls 2026, highlights how climate change is placing women and girls in countries such as Bangladesh, Kenya, Peru, Senegal, and Zimbabwe at particularly high risk.
In Bangladesh, for instance, when families are impoverished following floods, financial hardship can lead them to marry off their daughters at an early age. During disasters, schools are often forced to close, doubling the risk of child marriage.
Girls and women also face difficulties accessing healthcare. Moreover, the risk of sexual abuse and violence against women increases after disasters. They are particularly vulnerable to various forms of harassment and insecurity in shelters.
We must now take appropriate measures to address these problems. These issues deserve greater attention in climate policies, planning, and financing. In particular, assistance and support related to climate-related risks must reach marginalized communities.
We need to think deeply about this emerging challenge at the intersection of the climate crisis and the protection of women and girls. During times of crisis, such humanitarian disasters undermine overall social development.
The state and relevant organizations must pay particular attention to ensuring that adequate humanitarian assistance reaches minority, disabled, and displaced girls.
At the upcoming international climate conferences, we sincerely hope that the health, education, and safety of women and girls will receive greater priority in climate policy-making by world leaders.
Ultimately, concerted efforts and far-reaching planning are the only means by which we can protect vulnerable girls in disaster-prone communities from this deeply distressing crisis.