Empowering Women Can Save the Planet: Takeaways from Meeting with UN Women-Philippines

Alex Johnston
Jul 29
4 min read

By Alex Johnston

ENST 432 Environment and Governance: Sustainable Development in the Philippines

B.S. in Chemical Engineering '27

Viterbi School of Engineering, USC

When we think of climate change, we often picture rising sea levels, super-typhoons, or dried-up farmland. Rarely do we associate it with something as personal and devastating as domestic violence. However, in the Philippines, a country that has the highest World Risk Index in the 2024 Report for the 3rd straight year in a row, climate change is not only intensifying environmental catastrophes but also deeply rooted gender inequalities.

Gender Inequality and Climate Change

In a recent meeting with UN Women-Philippines, we were confronted with a terrifying truth of intersectionality: climate change is not gender-neutral and can, in fact, exacerbate gender inequalities. UN Women’s dedication to promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women aligns with tackling environmental challenges. They have found that women, particularly those in rural and low-income communities, bear the brunt of climate change’s impacts. For example, in rural areas in the Philippines, women and girls spend up to 24 hours per week collecting water. This task keeps them from attending school or seeking employment, putting them at several disadvantages.

Girls collecting rainwater using newly-installed water refilling bladder to aid the water crisis after Super Typhoon Odette in 2021. Photo: © UNICEF/UNI832347/Cascante

Whether it’s through displacement, food insecurity, or economic instability, the stress of dealing with the challenges of climate change increases the risk of gender-based violence. A 2025 UN Spotlight brief cited a study that found the alarming statistic that “every 1°C rise in global temperature is associated with a 4.7% increase in intimate partner violence (IPV).” (Norgaard and Richard) Another study highlighted a finding of a 28% increase in femicide during heatwaves (UN Women).

The Philippines on the Frontlines of Climate Impacts

These figures are not just numbers. They reflect the lived realities of thousands of Filipino women caught facing climate consequences they had no part in causing. The Philippines, which contributes only a small fraction of global carbon emissions, and according to the Climate Risk Index of 2025, is among the top ten most affected countries by climate-related extreme weather events over three decades, from 1993-2022. The country faces 20-22 typhoons per year (an increase compared to past decades), with 6-8 of those developing into Type 4 Super Typhoons. The result is a constant cycle of recovery for communities, with women typically being first responders in disasters, caring for the sick and injured after a disaster, and aiding in rebuilding efforts, often without access to the tools or resources they need (United Nations).

Although women are disproportionately impacted by disasters and have proven to be reliable leaders in post-disaster recovery, they are experts excluded from conversations about policies, strategies, and programs to address disaster risk and resilience. Without targeted intervention, the current framework of the Philippine government is expected to leave 30-40% of women behind (UN Women). Despite extensive data gathered by UN Women demonstrating the link between gender and climate vulnerability, it remains an issue that sits in the corner of meeting rooms and is not a primary concern in the Philippine government’s climate policy. There is a clear systemic failure to translate evidence into action.

Empowering Women Is Essential Climate Policy

However, the international community has not been deterred and responded to the issues at hand. In 2018, UN Women and the UN Environment Program initiated the EmPower: Women for Climate-Resilient Societies Program to accelerate gender-responsive and human rights-based climate action in the Asia-Pacific region. Phase I of the project spanned from 2018 to 2022, and in that time, EmPower supported woman-focused organizations, promoted renewable energy implementation to build climate-resilient livelihoods, and helped mainstream gender equality in climate policies (UN Women). The results were clear: when women lead, communities become more resilient. These efforts cannot operate in isolation. The Philippine government must institutionalize gender perspectives across all climate-related policies and programs.

Filipino women receiving aid packages in the aftermath of Typhoon Odette. Photo: United Nations Refugee Agency-Philippines.

UN Women-Philippines also raised the prevalent issue of climate justice. Developed countries, which are largely responsible for global emissions, must provide both financial reparations and technical support to nations like the Philippines. Framing this aid as reparations rather than charity is a significant distinction; it is owed to the people who bear the brunt of the negative impacts of climate change, not an optional gift. Even as international aid flows in, there is an urgent need to ensure that women benefit from these investments. Right now, only 0.04% of climate-related development assistance primarily focuses on gender equality (UN Women). This must change.

The most important takeaway from meeting with UN Women-Philippines is that empowering women is not simply a side issue or a symptom to be treated. It is one of the cures to climate change. We cannot afford to treat half of the population as an afterthought in our response to one of the greatest challenges of our time. After statistics and studies show us that women are consistently left behind, it is unacceptable to ignore reality and continue business as usual. If we want to save the planet, we must start by empowering the people who have been holding it together all along.

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