Climate change is one of the biggest threats to the world today. Rising sea levels, cyclones, droughts, floods, or river erosion, these disasters are not only natural disasters, but are also deeply shaking people’s lifestyles, economies, and social structures. However, this crisis is not the same for everyone. Its impact is hitting the marginalized groups of society the hardest, especially women. Women in South Asia, Africa, and Latin America are facing this crisis with multifaceted challenges. On the one hand, they are bearing the reality of economic loss, and on the other hand, they are bearing the reality of losing their rights to social dignity, education, health, and security.

Based on this experience, a new school of thought has emerged around the world that is Climate Feminism. Its main point is that to understand the impact of climate change, a gender-based perspective must be used. That is, women and men are not affected equally; rather, women face additional risks, which must be clearly considered in policy making. This is different from conventional Feminism.  While conventional feminism emphasizes equality, climate feminism emphasizes equity; that is giving everyone rights and opportunities according to their real circumstances and needs. Nobel laureate economist Amartya Sen’s “Capabilities Approach” is relevant in this context. He has shown that it is not enough to simply provide equal resources, but rather whether people are getting opportunities according to their real needs and capabilities.

Women’s Different Vulnerabilities

The impact of the climate crisis on women is striking in many countries in South Asia, including Bangladesh. In coastal areas, men can often quickly move to shelters, but women are delayed due to responsibilities for children, the elderly, and livestock. As a result, they are more affected. Water shortages also have a different impact on women’s lives. Women spend hours every day fetching water from polluted or distant sources, which increases their physical suffering, reduces their educational opportunities, and sometimes puts them at risk of harassment.

Similarly, women face different kinds of problems in the post-disaster period. Sexual harassment, insecurity, and limited healthcare in shelters or refugee camps create additional pressure on them.  Social mentality plays a negative role where many families are the first to remove girls from school after a disaster. As a result, education and future prospects are also affected.

Equality vs. Equity

If equal support is provided here, the problem is not completely solved.  For example, if in an area, rice or money is given equally to both men and women in post-disaster relief, that is equality, but not equity. Because women have to take care of children, do housework, and provide water at the same time which is much more than men’s responsibilities. Therefore, the solution must also be based on fairness. Bina Agarwal has shown in her research that sustainable results can be achieved if women’s participation and special needs are considered in natural resource management.

Not Victims, But Heroes of Change

Women are not just victims in the global environmental movement, they are playing an active role. Kenya’s Wangari Maathai has set a historic example in combating climate change by planting millions of trees through her “Green Belt Movement”. In Bangladesh, coastal farmers are innovating new agriculture in saline lands to sustain their families and communities. Women in the mountains of Nepal and India are also struggling to protect water sources. These examples prove that women are not only victims of problems, but also pioneers of solutions.

Women’s Knowledge and Policymaking

However, it is sad to say that women’s experience and role often remain invisible in global climate discussions. Representatives of major countries discuss economics and technology at international conferences, but the real suffering of local women is not included. Yet women know how to save seeds in farming, conserve rainwater, or save families during disasters. Researcher Naila Kabeer has shown that ignoring women’s experiences in policymaking does not achieve social justice.

Similarly, Bina Agarwal has repeatedly stated that no environmental policy can be effective without women’s participation at the rural and local levels. While Western feminism only emphasizes equal rights or political participation in the workplace, women in the South are mothers, farmers, workers, and guardians of society. Climate adaptation will never be successful if their life struggles are not taken into account.

Light of Ecofeminism

Ecofeminism is a particular feminist ideology that argues that the exploitation of nature and the exploitation of women are part of the same power structure. Just as patriarchal societies devalue women’s labor, knowledge, and power, the same structure also uses natural resources as objects of consumption. Therefore, women’s liberation and the protection of nature are inextricably linked.

Indian environmental activist Vandana Shiva and German researcher Maria Mies (Ecofeminism, 1993) popularized this idea. According to them, both women’s bodies and nature are victims of modern development and consumerist economies. For example, deforestation destroys biodiversity and threatens women’s livelihoods, because rural women are directly dependent on firewood, medicinal plants, and water.

Australian researcher Ariel Salleh also says that women’s invisible caring labor (such as fetching water, caring for children and the elderly, and managing the household) is deeply connected to environmental protection.  But this labor is not valued in state or global policies.

Similarly, British economist Mary Mellor argues that women’s caring work and environmental sustainability are not separate; rather, both are essential conditions for building a sustainable society.

Therefore, ecofeminism teaches us that women’s experiences, caring labor, and local knowledge must be brought to a central role in addressing the climate crisis. Because environmental justice is impossible without women.

Context of Bangladesh

The issue is even clearer in the context of Bangladesh. In families displaced by river erosion, men go to the cities in search of work, while women stay in temporary shelters in the villages. The responsibility of the entire family falls on them. Those who come to the cities start living in slums, where women and children again face health and insecurity. On one hand, poverty, on the other, climate disaster, and the burden of everything falls squarely on the shoulders of women. Therefore, in a country like Bangladesh, climate feminism is not just a matter of academic discussion, but a question of real-life survival.

Therefore, the fight against climate change is not just a fight over technology or economics, it is a fight for justice. And that justice will be established only when women and men are not treated equally, but fairly. Climate feminism shows us the way. Safe shelters for women, guarantees of continued education, special arrangements for healthcare, respect for local knowledge; these are conditions not only for the welfare of women, but for the survival of the entire society.

Climate change is a difficult reality, but it can be addressed. And in that response, women must be seen not just as victims, but as leaders, scholars, and guides. Because women’s experience and strength are the most reliable resources for building a just, sustainable world.

(The author is an undergraduate student in the Department of International Relations at the University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Views expressed are personal. She can be reached at atiaibnat01403@gmail.com).