Introduction

This toolkit on Gender and Climate Change is part of an important endeavour by Isis International to explore innovative and strategic ways to communicate gender justice and climate justice issues, especially from Southern feminist perspectives.

Climate change impacts people and countries in many different ways, yet the impacts of climate change are not gender neutral because of existing gender inequalities. Climate change is the living reality of women, with two facets -- on the one hand, women are indeed the most affected because of long-standing issues of gender; on the other hand, they are also active agents in addressing immediate and strategic solutions to climate justice. However, this consciousness has not yet permeated the current discussions and negotiations or the production of knowledge on climate justice.

To date, gender issues have hardly figured in the international policy discourse on climate change and have been often overlooked in discussions about strategies to reduce the source of greenhouse gases because of the "technical" or "scientific" nature of the strategies.

This toolkit aims to deepen our analysis from a broader and human-centered perspective on this imperative global issue of climate change and the mounting resistance to the corporate-driven false solutions that only deteriorate the catastrophe. In plain language, it provides community-based or grass-roots organisations basic information on climate change and how to communicate climate justice with their constituencies and target groups.

The first part of this toolkit answers the questions: What is climate change and what are the effects of climate change? What is climate justice and what does climate justice have to do with gender? It shows how international bodies concerned with climate change do not take women's needs or gender issues sufficiently into account. It looks at the potential solutions proposed by international bodies and at what needs to be done to make these solutions more inclusive of women and women's needs.

The second part of this toolkit looks at how groups and organisations can use communication and advocacy to work towards climate justice and gender justice. A Communication Agenda can be developed to map out the steps for using information and communication in strategic ways to work towards climate justice. This includes: surfacing women's experiences of climate change; how to analyse the data; and applying a feminist development communication framework to empower women and advocate for women's human rights and gender justice.

The toolkit presents communication tools and strategies and both traditional and new information technologies (ICTs) with a special look at the usefulness of community radio. It looks at what elements make communications empowering.

Advocacy is a powerful means to amplify women's voices and promote climate and gender justice. The toolkit looks at how to use different forms of advocacy including: lobbying, information and communication campaigns, community organising, new ICTs and social media tools. It shows how to build an advocacy plan.

All this is accompanied by real-life stories and experiences of women around the world with photographs and colourful illustrations.

We thank the many people who contributed to this Toolkit and especially the activists from Isis Activist School on Engendering Climate Justice for sharing their commitments, insights, wisdom and inspiration.

 

My House UNDERWATER

By Rasheda Begum 

I used to have a house, about half a kilometer away from the shore in Khudiar Tek in the island of Kutubdia. Unfortunately, this was washed away by the devastating cyclone in 1991. My neighbors and I moved farther to an embankment three kilometers from the shore. In the next five to six years, the sea came closer and closer, gradually swallowing the land mass and advancing towards my hut. As it flooded, we moved to the interior part of the island.

Like my neighbors, I have always felt this unexplained horror over the thought of fleeing to an unknown destination. I guess this fear is based on the fact that unlike men, our movement as women has always been restricted. A man can easily decide what to do and where to live. Society does not permit us to act like men. Unfortunately I failed to get any place where I could build a shelter for my three daughters and son. It did not take a while before the sea swallowed all our belongings, including our land.

In 2007, we settled in an urban slum called Kutubdia Para, situated at the outskirts of the sea resort town of Cox's Bazaar The place severely lacks civic amenities and services. Here we face an even more distressing situation. Everyday, I have to think of how I could feed my family.

My children and I work as daily laborers at the local fish processing and drying businesses that are seasonal in nature. This means being in an extremely unhygienic working environment. I constantly worry for my three grown up daughters because there is no rule of law for the poor, especially for slum dwellers."

Rasheda Begum is a climate change refugee, also known as a climate change induced forced migrant. Such people are forced to move from their homes into new areas because of the changes in the environment that threaten their livelihoods and homes, such as the accelerated rise in sea levels, lack of water, storms, and flooding.¹

____________________________________________________________________________________

¹ Begum, R. (2009) "My House Underwater." Women in Action: Women in a Weary World, 2, 18-19

 

What  is  Climate  Change?

Climate change happens when the earth becomes cooler or hotter as a result of aerosols and greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. Examples of GHGs and aerosols include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and halocarbons. Climate change is manifested in many ways: through seasons becoming longer or shorter, through drought, flooding, and shifts in climate patterns from particular times and spaces.

The greenhouse effect happens when GHGs trap heat from the sun, causing more warmth than usual. In the last century, the entire globe has warmed 0.8 degree Celsius (0.8 ⁰C), where most of the warming occurred in the past 30 years. Scientists have been making efforts not to let the globe's temperature rise above 2⁰C- or else catastrophic effects, such as accelerated increase in sea levels, flooding, severe droughts, extreme weather events, depletion of natural resources and scarcity of water, can happen to the environment.²  Climate change is caused by human actions.

Climate change might seem like such a vast, worldwide issue that it must be a result of natural causes; however, this is not the case. Climate change is a result of two and a half centuries of human activity. Human beings have caused climate change through increasing greenhouse gases by using fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas in order to power houses, transport, and factories. In addition, the useof land, through agriculture, widespread logging, real estate development, and industry, have also affected climate change.

In Indonesia, logging has become a huge industry. Between 1990 and 2005 the country lost more than 28 million hectares of forest, including 21.7 hectares of virgin cover.⁴ The effects from forest loss have been widespread, including irregular river flows, coastline movement, soil erosion, and reduced yield of forest products.⁵ AMAN, (Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara or Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago) a network of indigenous communities, wants to demonstrate the sustainability of indigenous forest management (IFM) to the international community. Not only does IFM help mitigate the effects of climate change because of its encouragement of responsible logging, re-planting and care for trees, but it also is a way for indigenous peoples to preserve their culture in a nation that sees them as little more than forest squatters.⁶

I am Ayibakuro Warder, mother of five children and a native of Ikarama, an Ijaw community in the Bayelsa State in the Niger Delta region. While employed in the Yenagoa local government, I remain engaged in fishing and farming to support my family. But much of my time is devoted as a leader of Ikarama women as well as the whole Okordia clan.

As a child growing up near the delta, I remember that my parents used to gather greater harvests from their farming and fishing activities. The sizes of cassava and plantain products were incomparable to the present yields. Our fish ponds, lakes and creeks have suffered from incessant oil spills. The people know that the smaller and fewer harvests are due to pollution coming from the oil extraction activities near the delta.

The sad part is that once our natural resources, such as bodies of water, are affected by the oil spill - we can no longer benefit from them. These waters and surrounding valleys are the very sources of our livelihoods. Whenever oil spills happen, not only are the natural resources damaged often beyond repair, but our survival is undermined as well.

Worse, health problems, especially among our children, rise. Several women have died as a result of oil spills. With our sources of income gone, we find it harder to seek medical help.

Most girls have become disinterested in traditional farming and fishing because of the damage wrought by oil companies on our environment. Unscrupulous men have taken advantage of the girls' sorry situation, luring them into the family way but dumping them later. 

In 2007, an oil spill that took place in the Okordia manifold, affected our food supply. The women lost all the cassava that they soaked in the creek. We soak cassava to hasten its fermentation as we prepare to make it into cassava dough, our staple food. The oil spill also destroyed traps that we set for fishing.

I then led a women's protest in front of Shell Oil's office at the Kolocreek Logistic Base. However, regardless of the cause of the oil spill, whether because of sabotage or equipment failure. Shell has never compensated its victims. Instead, it deploys its military personnel to intimidate the community from airing their grievances.³

____________________________________________________________________________________

² Global Warming (n.d.) Retrieved 17 November 2010 from http://www.ucsusa.org/global_warming/

³ Warder, A. (2009), "Delivering the Delta fronn the Spills of Shell". Women in Action: Women in a Weary World, 2, 33-34

⁴ Butler, Rhett A. (2006) "Indonesia: Environmental Profile." Mongabay.com / A Place Out of Time: Tropical Rainforests and the Perils They Face. 9 January 2006. Retrieved 18 November 2010 from http://rainforests.mongabay.com/20indonesia.htm

⁵ Butler, Rhett A. (2006) "Indonesia: Environmental Profile." Mongabay.com / A Place Out of Time: Tropical Rainforests and the Perils They Face. 9 January 2006. Retrieved 18 November 2010 from http://rainforests.mongabay.com/20indonesia.htm

⁶ Forests for the future: Indigenous forest management in a changing world (2009). In Ola Kleden E., Chidley L. and Indradi Y. (Eds.). England: Down to Earth.

 

Effects of Climate Change

Climate change has many impacts, ranging from large-scale natural disasters to effects felt in everyday life; it influences both the planet and the people living on it. Moreover, in many cases, these impacts are irreversible — once these changes occur, they cannot be undone.

Warming in the last century has been O.8⁰C. Though this might seem like a very small change in temperature, it is an average for the entire world. Due to higher temperatures, sea levels will rise because of the melting of ice caps due to an increase in ocean temperature. Another effect is ocean acidification, caused by the constant and increased interaction of the ocean with carbon in the atmosphere. Since the industrial revolution, oceans have become 30 percent more acidic.⁷ This decreases the ability of coral reefs to recover from bleaching and diseases, in turn reducing the protection they offer to coastal communities against storms,⁸ and their destruction causing a decrease in fish harvests. Precipitation will increase over most land areas.

At the same time, higher temperatures also result in droughts, which will become longer and more intense. Extreme weather conditions such as droughts, heavy rain, and typhoons will lead to higher risks in agricultural production.

REVIEW OF KEY TERMS

Climate Change - Any change in global temperatures and precipitation over time due to human activity.

Greenhouse gases - Gases like carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and halocarbons which trap heat from the sun and cause the greenhouse effect.

Greenhouse effect - when greenhouse gases (GHGs) trap heat from the sun, making it unable to escape the earth's atmosphere and causing the earth to warm.

Sea levels - the level of the surface of the sea with respect to the land.

Ocean acidification - a process in which oceans absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and which causes increasing levels of acidity in oceans.

Precipitation - the amount of rain, snow, hail, etc., that has fallen at a given place within a given period, usually expressed in inches or centimeters of water.

Drought - a prolonged period of little rainfall.

____________________________________________________________________________________

⁷ European Science Foundation (2008). Ocean Acidification: Another Undesired Side Effect Of Fossil Fuel-burning. ScienceDaily. Retrieved 19 November 2010 from http://www.sciencedaily.com/ releases/2008/05/080521105251.htm

⁸ State of the Science Fact Sheet: Ocean Acidification. (2008) National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration, United States Department of Commerce. Retrieved 19 November 2010 from http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/co2/OA/

 

What is Climate Justice and what does it have to do with gender?

Eighty percent of Nepal's population is in the rural areas. As they rely heavily on agriculture and forest resources, they are immediately affected by the climate disasters such as flooding, landslides, hailstorms and droughts, that only aggravate the hunger and the poverty in the countryside. Women, who are primarily responsible for providing food and water for the family, are indeed the hardest hit. In the same light, religious guilt over the absence of provisions rests squarely on women.

Among climatic disasters, the droughts of 2006, 2008 and 2009 left the deepest imprint among Nepal's rural poor. During these times, villagers performed various religious rituals with the hope of correcting the unusual weather patterns. Some villages organised ceremonies such as the marriage of frogs in the Hindu temples. The newlywed frogs are carried to a nearby stream, expected that they would communicate to the god of rain the locals' plight due to the drought.

The backbreaking tasks demanded by the ceremonies, such as preparing the households, cooking food, hosting people and cleaning, are done by women. Moreover, women dance naked to please the god of rain, exhorting him to bring rain showers for their crops. There are no equivalent rituals required of the men.

Women will wait day and night for the rain. Some even start working at night, when the showers pour While their husbands, children and relatives sleep, the women, mostly daughters-in-law, are awake, straining their ears to catch the first landfall of rain.

As soon as they hear the raindrops, they venture out to work the land. While agricultural work is performed by both women and men, it has a gender division of labour. Whereas women's role consists of planting, transplanting, weeding, harvesting, milling, as well as the collection of water, firewood and fodder, men plough the fields and market the extra crops for additional income. The men's job has been made easier with new technologies, such as tractors.

Women barely have enough land to plant their crops. Moreover, their produce is often inadequate to feed their own families. Some women will even eat less in order to provide for their children. For these women, security primarily comes from the elements like the sun and the rain, which are unpredictable. Their land is their lifeblood. Once this is threatened by droughts and other climatic disasters, their lives hang in balance. They dance harder.

 

Climate Justice and Gender Justice

Climate Justice is a framework with which social justice and equity are used to address the climate crisis.

Having shown that carbon-intensive technologies are largely responsible for high level of emissions of green house gases (GHGs), industrialised countries are pinpointed as primarily responsible for today's climate change crisis. China and India, falling in this category, are increasing their emissions at a very fast rate.

Based on the principle of equity, such countries are thus pressed upon to take the biggest burden and responsibility for addressing this crisis. They likewise must support developing countries in adapting an environmentally sound path towards development, to avoid making the same mistakes as their industrialised counterparts. Climate justice therefore deals with the climate crisis while addressing inequalities, including the unequal power relations among nations.

Climate Justice must address gender inequality. Men and women are affected by climate change differently. Climate -change links to other gender issues, such as the division of labor, domestic life, reproductive health, and migration. Solutions must be made to reduce existing gender injustices. .Climate justice is inseparable from gender justice.

IMPACTS ON WOMEN OF CLIMATE CHANGE

• As home-stays, women are responsible for saving the family and their properties during disasters.

• Women are responsible for bringing back normalcy to household operations after disasters.

• Women's livelihoods are threatened and incomes lessened by extreme weather changes.

• Women are responsible for providing food, water, sanitation and health care in the aftermath of disasters

• In some cases, women bear the brunt of religious guilt and physically taxing rituals to "restore" nature to normalcy

• Women suffer health and mortality problems given the stress of all physical and emotional responsibilities.

• Women are also direct casualties of disasters and resulting diseases.

• Women are sometimes victims of domestic violence when perceived as irresponsible in their duties

• Women migrate to unfamiliar places to find new sources of income.

• Women suffer the attendant problems of separation from family and removing childcare from their own children, causing further child development problems, and

• Women suffer abuse by illegal recruiters and bad employers.

 

The Climate Regime

International bodies that are altogether involved in climate change policy, also referred to informally as the Climate Regime, have established ways of dealing with climate change. Unfortunately, this Climate Regime does not take into account women's needs.

The 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was a major United Nations conference that strategised around the issues of the environment and sustainable development. Here, the international community recognised climate change as a global crisis, and formed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The UNFCCC governs the discussions on climate change; it established the climate regime under the banner of "common but differentiated responsibilities" (equity) in addressing the issue. The "Conference of Parties" (COP) is made up of signatories of the convention that participated in the discussions and resolutions.

Who is part of the Climate Regime?

Annex I includes industrialised countries that were members of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development)⁹ in 1992, plus countries with economies in transition (the BIT Parties).¹⁰

Annex II consists of OECD members, excluding the BIT Parties.¹¹ This group's responsibilities include raising money to help developing countries carry out activities to reduce damaging emissions and help them adjust to the harmful effects of climate change.

Meanwhile, Non-Annex signatories are mainly developing and least developed countries.¹² Several categories of observer organisations also attend sessions of the COP and its subsidiary bodies. These include representatives of United Nations secretariat units and bodies, such as United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), as well as its specialised agencies and related organisations, such as the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Observer organisations include intergovernmental organisations (IGOs), such as the OECD and International Energy Agency (lEA), along with non-governmental organisation (NGOs).

____________________________________________________________________________________

⁹  ANNEX 1
OECD Countries
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America

¹⁰ ANNEX 1
EIT Countries
Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, European Union, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine.

¹¹ ANNEX 2 countries
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, European Economic Community, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America

¹² NON-ANNEX countries
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Antigue and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botsvuana, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Cote d'lvoire. Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuv«ait, Kyrgyzstan, Lao People's Democrahc Republic, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Madagascar, Malavui, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia {Federatead State of), Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa. San Marino, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudia Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sw/aziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Thailand, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Viet Nam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

 

The inclusion of gender within Climate Regime negotiations has been slow. Only in November 2009 has the women's sector been awarded a probationary constituency status, which allows women's intervention in negotiation processes, the right to talk in plenary and the right to set up a lobby. A decision will be made in 2011 to finalise full constituency status. Progress began in 2005 during COPll¹³ in Montreal, Canada when the daily women's caucus was held for the first time.¹⁴ It was only during C0P13 in Bali, Indonesia that a gender perspective was included in the negotiations, through the formation of GenderCC, a worldwide network of women for climate justice.¹⁵ GenderCC applied for women's NGO constituency during C0P14 in Poznan, Poland.¹⁶ Despite this progress, women's representation at climate negotiations is still low, at only 30-35% of member delegations and 20% of delegation heads.¹⁷

The UNFCCC established the Kyoto Protocol (KP), under which a legally binding target was agreed upon, to limit or reduce GHGs in general. Under this, the "Clean Development Mechanism" (CDM), aims to help developing countries achieve sustainable development, while helping the developed ones comply with
quantified and reduced emission requirements. Regrettably, the CDM does not take women's needs into account nor does it extend more access to the CDM's initiatives.

In Lao, energy is considered as dangerous and risky, in terms of the risks of electricity in private households and public facilities. Boys are expected to face and master these dangers. Whereas they are encouraged to get acquainted with electricity step by step, girls ore kept away not only from electric power but also from the power of knowledge. Men are primarily considered to be responsible for the technical side and the investments in thermal insulation of homes, boilers, and hot water installations. Electrical.
installation, plumbing, and installation of heating systems are male domains.¹⁸

____________________________________________________________________________________

¹³ The numbers after COP designate the times the conference of parties have met since the creation of the UNFCCC. Thus, COPll is the eleventh meeting of the conference of parties.

¹⁴ Rohr, U. (Ed.). (2009). Gender into climate policy: Toolkit for climate experts and decision-makers. Berlin: GenderCC - Women for Climate Justice.

¹⁵ Rohr, U. (Ed.), (2009). Gender into climate policy: Toolkit for climate experts and decision-makers. Berlin: GenderCC - Women for Climate Justice.

¹⁶ Rohr, U. (Ed.). (2009). Gender into climate policy: Toolkit for climate experts and decision-makers. Berlin: GenderCC - Women for Climate Justice.

¹⁷ Rohr, U. (Ed.). (2009). Gender into climate policy: Toolkit for climate experts and decision-makers. Berlin: GenderCC - Women for Climate Justice.

 

Gender is often overlooked in discussions about strategies to reduce the source of greenhouse gases because of the "technical" or "scientific" nature of the strategies. This view ignores that women are mainly responsible for ensuring energy supply and security at the household level.¹⁹ The dominant perspective is that women are seen as victims or members of vulnerable groups, instead of agents of change, leaders and decision-makers.

Thus, the present Climate Regime relies on patriarchal mindsets for deciding solutions to climate change. It relies on the dominant, male powers of states and societies, which often exclude women's voices

REVIEW OF KEY TERMS

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - An international body governing the discussions on climate change; it established the climate regime under the banner of "common but differentiated responsibilities" in addressing the issue.

Annex I - industrialised countries that were members of the OECD in 1992, plus countries with economies in transition.

Annex II - consists solely of the OECD members, excluding countries who have economies in transition.

Non-Annex - developing and least developed countries.

Kyoto Protocol (KP): a legally binding target intended to limit or reduce GHGs for Annex I (developed) countries.

Clean Development Mechanism - emissions-reducing projects in developing countries with two objectives: it wants to assist those countries not included in Annex I to achieve sustainable development while contributing to the ultimate objective of the Convention; it wants to assist parties included in Annex I to comply with their quantified emissions limitations and reduction commitments.

____________________________________________________________________________________

¹⁸ ENERGIA. (2007). Where Energy is Women's Business: National and Regional Reports from Africa, Asia, Latin America ancj the Pacific. Retrieved from the World Wide Web from: www.energia.org/csd_book.html

¹⁹ Aguilar, L. (2009). Training manual on gender and climate change. Costa Rica: ABSOLUTO S.A.csd_book.html

 

Potential Solutions

In the COP negotiations of both the Convention and KP, there are several possibilities for solutions to climate change problems. However, they require further analysis from a gendered perspective.

SOLUTION 1

Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) programme is comprised of a set of steps/projects that participating countries (both developing and developed) can do in order to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases from deforestation and forest degradation. As they comply with the set standards and requirements while doing this, they earn points or "carbon credits". Developing countries can be paid for protecting and controlling the well being of their forests. Developed countries, meanwhile, are required to comply by lessening their greenhouse gas emissions and/or by doing "carbon offsets"; this simply means that they can do "emissions saving projects" (like reforestation) in poorer countries in order to meet this obligation.

Seeing red with REDD. Yet while its intent is laudable, REDD has been criticised on count of various issues.

1. Who has access to these protected forests and their natural resources?

2. Who should benefit from them?

It has been observed of REDD project areas that the local residents and indigenous people often do not have access nor benefit the most from said projects. Usually, it is the companies of the developed countries that do their "offset projects" that do so. Even vast commercial plantations of rich foreign and local businesses manage to be counted as reforestation and thus gain carbon credits for the external investor. Without consultation and genuine involvement of the locals, many considerations for sustainable development are compromised: biodiversity, livelihood, food security, and gender justice.

It is important that the environmental programs incorporate respect for the rights of indigenous people, as well as integrate indigenous women's knowledge on forest management.²⁰ Local people have better knowledge of the species found in the area and how to care for them. Meanwhile, men and women often have different productive and reproductive roles with regard to forest resource management. Women typically gather forest products for fuel, fencing, food for the family, fodder for livestock and raw materials to produce natural medicines, all of which help increase family income. But, if they are not allowed to access the forest, they cannot gather the resources they need.

____________________________________________________________________________________

²⁰ Lang, C. (2010). Global Conference on Indigenous Women, Climate Change and REDD Plus in the Philippines. Retrieved 22 November 2010, from http://www.redd-monitororg/2010/ll/2L/global-conferenceon-indigenous-women-climatechange-and-redd-plus-in the-philippines/

SOLUTION 2

Programmes for adaptation such as the National Adaptation Programmes for Action (NAPA) prioritise activities that respond to urgent and immediate needs to adapt to climate change in the least developed countries - those for which further delay would increase vulnerability and/or costs at a later stage.²¹ Again, adaptation programmes need to acknowledge the different capacities of men and women in coping with climate change, and ensure women's participation.

Efforts towards this is being done in different countries. In the Sierra Leone NAPA, a sensitisation campaign gives information on the impacts of climate change on women and trains women to adapt to climate change. The NAPA says the inclusion of women (and children) will make the project sustainable. The NAPAs in Bangladesh, Eritrea and Malawi list gender equality as one of the criteria for selecting activities and included indigenous women in the process and targeted female-headed households. Proposed interventions include the empowerment of women through access to microfinance, ensuring easier access to water and energy sources, and a rural electrification programme.²²
____________________________________________________________________________________

²¹ National Adaptation Programmes for Action (n.d.) Retrieved 22 November 2010, from http://unfccc.int/ national_reports/napa/items/2719.php

²² Blomstrom, E., Cunningham, S., Johnson, N., & Owren, C. (2009). Climate change connections: Gender, population and climate change. UNFPA and WEDO. Retrieved 22 November 2010, from http://www.wedo. org/?s=NAPAt

 

SOLUTION 3

Technology Transfer refers to the transfer of energy-efficient or low carbon-intensive technologies developed and owned by industrialised nations to less industrialised countries where they are most needed. The rules on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) can be a concern because the IPR allows owners to limit the availability, use or development of a process or product. The challenge is to ensure that available technologies are indeed transferred to least developed and developing countries and that such technologies do not contribute to global climate change. Other questions arise: Will the transfer of technology be responsive to women's needs? Are women part of capacity-building efforts or trainings on the use of these technologies? Are technological solutions necessarily the solutions preferred by women?

SOLUTION 4

Climate Finance is an additional prospective strategy. Under the Copenhagen Accord, parties must keep any increase in global temperature to below 2° C and recommended emissions levels; likewise, governments agreed to fund developing countries efforts on mitigation, deforestation, adaptation and technology development and transfer and capacity-building. Here, US$ 30 billion has been committed for 2010-2012, with funding prioritised for the most vulnerable countries. In addition, US$ 100 billion per year is allotted for emission reduction, forest protection, and adaptation in developing countries until the year 2020. The allotment of such funds is a valuable step, but it is integral that women have a say on how these funds are allocated.

 

REVIEW OF KEY TERMS

Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation - a programme under which a set of steps are designed to use market/financial incentives to help reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases from deforestation and forest degradation.

Adaptation - policies and measures designed to help communities cope with the effects of already-occurring climate change

National Adaptation Programmes for Action - a process for less developed countries to identify priority activities that respond to their urgent and immediate needs to adapt to climate change - those for which further delay would increase vulnerability and/or costs at a later stage.

Technology Transfer - the transfer of energy-efficient or low carbon intensive technologies developed and owned by industrialised nations to less industrialised countries.

Climate Finance - funding from industrialised countries to help developing countries reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Copenhagen Accord - a non-legally binding framework that specifies that parties must hold any increase in global temperature to below 2° C and recommends emission targets for industrialised countries alongside actions to reduce emissions by less industrialised countries.

How do we do this?

We must use an effective Communication Agenda that highlights women's lived realities and their intersections.

A Communication Agenda maps out how communication and information can be used in strategic ways to work towards climate justice.

What is Communication?

Communication is the deliberate or accidental transfer of meaning or message. It has four elements:

- Sender: person who formulates, codes, and sends the message

- Content: the information/message you want to communicate

- Channel/media: the way by which the message is sent

- Targeted audience/recipients: the person(s)/group(s) you are directing the message towards 

To make sure that communication is effective (well-received), other factors must be considered:

a) the context or conditions/situation under which the message is crafted and sent

b) possible blocks or hindrances

c) feedback from recipients 

d) effects of the message sent

 

Surfacing Women's Experiences of Climate Change

It is important to know how to communicate women's experiences of climate change based on an analysis of women's lived realities, particularly those from developing countries.

Women's experiences of climate change, whether in the context of family, community or the country, has implications on women's rights. UN Human Rights Council Resolution 10/4 of 25 March 2009 recognises that the effects of climate change will be felt most acutely by those segments of the population that are already vulnerable — owing to geography, gender, age, indigenous or minority status and disability. Poor women and girls who are also socially discriminated upon, suffer more, because of limited access to information (on climate change and even forecasts and warnings), and to training and capacity building. Women are powerful agents of change and are key actors in contributing effective responses to the challenges posed by climate change. What do we do?Mapping out the diverse effects of climate change in the specific contexts of women's lives, and factoring in women's rights, is critical. There cannot be climate justice without gender justice. If women's voices are effectively heard in this advocacy, these goals will be easier to reach.

"Crops have failed for the last two seasons and livestock have been starving to death. For the first time, Kiiya Dam which was constructed by the colonial government more than 50 years ago, dried up completely in 2009. This never happened before... We (women) leave at six o'clock in the morning to the nearest spring. We find a long queue. By the time we draw water and get back home, it is well past mid-day. This leaves us with no energy for other activities. For those of us with small businesses, we have to close them down or leave them unattended to fetch water for our households and businesses."²³

Veronica Nzoki, Mwingi District, Eastern Kenya 

_________________________________________________________________________________
²³ Waititu,A. (2009). "Water and Women in East Africa." Women in Action: Women in a Weary World, 2, 9-12,

 

Clearly depicting women's experiences of climate change, can be a powerful way to show policymakers and the stakeholders the diverse effects of climate change, as their lived realities are often made invisible. Strategic and effective responses to these urgent issues can thus be better arrived at.

Bushra Khaliq emphasises the effects of drought, submerging landmasses, water scarcity, and disruptions in food production in Pakistan:

Because of women's dependency on the land and their role as primary caregivers within their families, they are less able to move and seek alternative resources necessary for their survival. Women find it much harder to recover and cope with climate change and disasters because even though 67% of women engage in agriculture, only 1% of them own land.²⁵

Asking the following questions can help map the gendered impact of climate change and how women have responded to it:

1) What are the impacts of climate change on your community and family? How do they affect you?

2) How are women in particular affected by climate change?

3) What are women particularly doing to address these impacts?

4) What were the responses of various stakeholders?

5) Were these responses sufficient? What else do you need to fully address and cope with your situation?

"Of the millions that are now bearing the brunt of the increasing degradation of the environment and the drastic changes in climate, women are the most severely affected. Local environmentalists estimate that 70 percent of the poor, who a re far more vulnerable to environmental damage, are women. Moreover, women are likely to be the unseen victims of resource wars and violence that results from climate change.²⁴

Bushra Khaliq 

Bushra Khaliq is a women's rights activist, working closely with radical social 's movements In Pakistan. An author of a number of articles on women's issues, she is presently working as General Secretary of Women Workers Help Line, a Lahore-based radical women's organisation, http://www.wwhl.org.pk.

She can be accessed through This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

_________________________________________________________________________________

²⁴ Khaliq, B. 2009, "Women's bodies in war, peace and climate change in Pakistan"
Women in Action; Women in a Weary World, 2,13-15,

²⁵ Ibid.

 

Analysing the Data

Below is an example of how to analyse data gathered when mapping the gendered impacts of climate change:

Mapping Out Women's Experiences of Climate Change
Climate Change Issue	Impact on Women	Women's Response to the issue	Response of Stakeholders	Reflections: What still needs to be addressed?
Food insecurity due to unpredictable weather patterns resulting in low yielding harvests	Lack of harvests results in the inability to provide income to families which also often result in domestic violence	Community organising andworking with NGO's to respond to climate change	Awareness raising on issues of climate change	Need to advocate to donor agencies to support projects

 

In answering these questions, women from Indonesia, Cambodia, and Nepal, talked about food security issues related to climate change and how these have affected their communities in diverse and intersecting ways. For example, women have difficulty in looking for sources of freshwater, which greatly impacts on their health and that of their families. Many are beaten or abused if they cannot provide income from little rice harvests. Their responses also illustrate women's resilience and resourcefulness in dealing with issues related to climate change. Many of them have done tree planting activities, networking, community organising, and working with NGO's. Alongside this, they assert the need for donor agencies to support projects.²⁶

It is important to ask how climate change affects women's lives specifically, and how their families and communities are consequently affected. Doing so highlights women's responses and gives ideas about how to work towards social and environmental justice.

______________________________________________________________________________________

²⁶ Isis International. 2010. Engendering Climate Justice Activist School Documentation Notes.

 

Applying the Feminist Development Communication Framework

Development communication is "communication with a social conscience."²⁷ It is "the art and science of human communication applied to the speedy transformation of the country and the mass of its people from poverty, to a dynamic state of economic growth that makes possible greater social equality and the larger fulfillment of the human potential "²⁸

Development communication aims to educate, inform, persuade and empower people; working towards social justice with a commitment to social goals.²⁹ It is message-centric and receiver oriented and it does not limit itself to the use of the mass media.

Building on this. Feminist Development Communication works to empower women and to advocate for women's human rights and gender justice. Feminist Development Communication looks at issues from a feminist lens, thereby surfacing women's issues and voices. However, emphasises that "the added value of a feminist approach to development communication... is for us not to generalise the conditions of women. Rather, it is to allow the diverse realities of grassroots women to dictate the directions of development communication and shape the development agenda."³⁰ As such. Feminist Development Communication empower women because it allows them to transcend from being mere receivers and consumers of information to producers of information. This gives women a space to voice their concerns and talk about issues from their own perspectives.

Central to feminist development communication is the use of a wide range of media forms and communication tools - taking into account the diversity of cultures, communities and societies and their understanding of issues, as well as how women in these contexts express their hopes and aspirations.

To make sure that communication is effective (well-received), other factors must be considered:
a) the context or conditions/situation under which the message is crafted and sent,
b) possible blocks or hindrances,
c) feedback from recipients, and
d) effects of the message sent.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

²⁷ (Nora Quebral, 1971). "Development communication in the agricultural context."

²⁸ Ibid., 

²⁹ Internahonal. 2010. Engendering Climate Jushce Activist School Documentation Notes.

³⁰ Vela, T. C. (2008). "Constructing diverse paths to development" Women in Action: PC4D People's Communications for Development, 2, 23-29.

 

Communication Tools & Strategies:

Traditional and New Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)

Communication involves many tools, each of which has different strengths and weaknesses. Communication tools are those used in order to deliver your message.

Some examples of communication tools are: print materials (posters, leaflets, banners), videos, photos, theatre, face-to-face interaction (meetings, press conferences, and publicity events), new ICTs (such as the cellular phone, computer and the internet), as well as social networking tools (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, etc).

In getting your message across, it is important to reflect on what kind of tool works best in your context. Using the best tool will help you deliver effective messages.

In many cases, traditional communication tools such as radio, theatre, video and face-to-face interactions are the most effective for women, particularly where new technologies are not readily available. In other instances, the use of computer, mobile technologies and the internet are effective, especially with broader audiences and when quick dissemination is needed. Both traditional and new technologies can be combined, where radio plugs, video documentaries and the like are posted on websites or circulated via email lists. With just a digital camera, women can still maximise such technology by documenting women's lives and creating a database for distribution through compact discs (CD's) to groups without internet access.

Overall, radio is the most accessible communication tool for grass roots women because it is cheap, easy to use, does not require literacy, and is accessible even in remote areas. Radio is' particularly useful to women, as listening to programmes does not interfere with their activities and work in the home. Radio allows information to reach communities immediately, has wide coverage, and allows for communities to engage in discussions. As such, radio helps communicate women's experiences of climate change and advocate for engendering climate justice.

Reflecting on Communication Tools and Strategies

• What media and communication tools do you use in your work?

• What are the most effective communication tools in your work? Why? What are your best practices using these tools?

• What are the least useful tools? Why?

• How do communication tools allow you to explore potentials and possibilities?

 

Community Radio Swara Tamborolangi

Tana Toraja is a highland area in the northern part of South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. The indigenous community of Toraya people live in and around the forest and have no access to television and internet. Print media would not be too useful to them because few are literate, and the oral tradition prevails for communication. Community radio has been the most effective form of information dissemination. Thus, Community Radio Swara Tamborolangi formed in October 2001 with a simple concept in mind:to revitalise the traditional values and the community sovereignty on natural resources management. Through Radio Swara Tamborolangi, the Toraya people can discuss and share about a sustainability model for their community — based on natural resources management.  

Climate change as the result of environmental degradation has become a very important issue and has resulted in debates and discussions across various levels -from grassroot communities to international fora. For the indigenous peoples, climate change is about unpredictable farming schedules caused by prolonged droughts and incessant rains and flooding; and how these in turn have negative effects on their family and livelihoods. And just like indigenous women in other places, the women of Toraja, especially those who live in the remote areas, are not as privileged as the men and therefore bear the brunt of the responsibilities and suffer the most. Women are expected to be plain housewives who must do the domestic work such as taking care of the family. Many of them are not well educated and therefore not considered as an integral part of the community.

Yet having Community Radio Swara Tamborolangi has proven otherwise. Women, especially in indigenous communities, have a very close relationship to the environment. In Indonesian culture, the environment is the Mother of all other things that surround it. And from the mother, life begins. The environment is the life-source of indigenous peoples. It is where they get everything they need for their daily life. While their women hold this true, gender stereotypes within the indigenous communities do not allow women to take ownership of the environment and have often excluded women from participating in discussions about environmental issues. This is the change Radio Swora Tamborolangi wanted to inflict.  

Since its creation. Radio Swara Tamborolangi has raised the awareness of women about their role in the community and their relevance to environmental issues. The women volunteer as broadcasters to spread information about the role of indigenous women in protecting the environment. Campaigns are done on air and off air. Through on-air programmes like Public Service Announcements (PSA), news, and interactive dialogues, live reports and features, the women broadcasters using thelocal language help remind the other women:

- That they have a very important role in protecting environment from harm, as in how to minimise the use of plastic materials, paper, sanitary napkins, etc. 

- How to use the water wisely in their daily life;  

- Planting trees or other plantation around their home;

- To save energy through wise use of fuel and electricity and maximising renewable energy.

- That they have a big responsibility in climate change mitigation and preventing flood and drought by stopping illegal logging in their area.³¹ 

 The next most accessible communication tool for grassroots women's advocacy is video. Culturally adequate videos, like radio, can help to convey powerful messages to women who cannot read or write. They also stimulate reflection and discussion - their messages can be powerful enough to touch viewers and create change.³²

The third most accessible communication tool is the cellular phone, which can be used to send text blasts (messages to a big number of people at the same time), or to take pictures and videos - allowing women to communicate across geographical distances. The computer is fourth most-used communication tool, and is the latest device being used by grassroots women - usually to create visual presentations.

However, the computer is not usually an empowering communication tool for grassroots women as it is largely inaccessible ³³ due to costs and the need for knowledge on its use, and the need in most cases, for literacy.

When is Communication Empowering?

While it It is also crucial to ensure that information produced and disseminated is accurate, context-specific, people oriented, s and updated. INFORMATION MUST BE:

1. Accurate - gives a real picture from the ground through analysis gathered from people's experiences, i.e. testimonies. 

2. Suitable - uses clear and direct messages in the local language; is simple and not theoretical; is sensitive to gender, class and caste in popular form.

3. Of interactive dialogue - asks grassroots/the community member what kind of development they desire; elicits feedback; listens with respect and passion.

4. Accessible - quickly reaches the community

5. Transformative - fosters people's independence, choices, and deeper understanding of the self and society.

6. Useful - provides practical information, tools, skills, knowledge, contacts, livelihood.

7. Based on trust - fosters trust between intermediary group and the community.

8. Borne of continuity and repetition - engenders continuous engagement, repeated exposure to the audience.

9. Updated - information must be relevant and timely.

10. Involving the people - using the local process, community's struggles

11. Non-judgmental - there are no right and wrong answers, must see the nuances of the issue. Women should be able to decide what is right or wrong for them.

12. Targeted to women and disadvantaged groups - to address the different needs and interests. It should be able to talk to people who are not convinced or don't know the issue.

13. Built on existing discourse - countering discourses and developing new ones.

______________________________________________________________________________________

³¹ Rahel Bernad Lewi. (2010) "Advocate and Campaign for Protection of Environment through Community Radio". Women in Action:????? 

³² Ofreno, M. (2008). People's communications for development: how intermediary groups use communication tools for grassroots women's empowerment." Women in Achon: PC4D People's Communications for Development, 2, 8

³³ Isis International-Manila. 2007 PC4D: People's Communications for Development. T. Vela & M. Ofreno (Eds.,) Manila: Creative Commons.

 

Amplifying Women's Voices Through Advocacy

Advocacy is an action directed at changing policies, positions and/or programmes and actual situations. In a way, advocacy is all about changing people's perspectives. It brings the community's attention to an important issue and directs decision-makers towards a solution. It puts the problem onto the agenda and provides solutions and builds support. It allows people or the community to participate in decisionmaking processes that affect their lives.³⁴

What Makes Advocacy Effective?

An effective advocacy influences and educates policy-makers and your target audience on the issue(s) you are campaigning for. It should be able to reform existing policies, laws, budget and develop new programmes. It should create more democratic, open and accountable decision-making structures and procedures. It should bring people together and work towards transformative social change for women, their families, and their communities.

The kind of advocacy depends on the context you are working in and the goal{s) of your advocacy Forms of advocacy include: lobbying, information and communication campaigns, community organising, face to face interaction, and the use of new ICTs such as Short Message Service (SMS) or texting, and social networking tools. Engendering climate justice is Intersectional; thus, much of women's advocacy for engendering climate justice must be multi-sectoral - using many forms of advocacy to make their efforts most effective.  

1. Lobbying - this is effectively done through organising a campaign around specific issues that you want to address, aimed at influencing a government body, organisation, policy or group. Activities include hosting of press conferences and meetings, writing press releases, using traditional communication tools such as theatre, photos, and newer tools such as social networking media, videos, etc. Campaigns for engendering climate justice are necessarily multi-sectoral; thus, there should be multiple levels of lobbying if a campaign is to be successful.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

³⁴ Isis International. 2010. Engendering Climate Justice Activist School Documentation Notes

 

Energy Sovereignty Communities

Indigenous Quechua women of Sarayu in the Amazon forest of Ecuador have been at the forefront of lobbying against the oil exploitation by multinational corporations, as their health has been disproportionately affected by the resulting environmental pollution. Their campaign helped push the Ecuadorian government into adopting a progressive policy on managing its natural resources that focuses on energy sovereignty, in particular, independence from using oil. Ivonne Yanez, coordinator of Oilwatch South America, describes the development and significance of the campaign: "The proposal began and evolved fi-om the social struggles especially that of the indigenous communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon. The transition from oil has become a fundamental agenda for hundreds of organisations.³⁵

This illustrates how effective a multi-sectoral lobbying campaign can be. It also emphasises the gendered impacts of climate i change and the necessity to have women's realities voiced when creating solutions to them. In the Philippines, Romana de los Reyes worked tirelessly for five years to prevent a coal-fired power plant from being built near her hometown in Bago, ; Negros Occidental. She worked together with wealthy, influential women, such as the wife of Bago's mayor, to raise awareness on the effects of the coal powered plant on people's health and the environment. One victory of the anti-coal campaign has been the designation of the island of Negros as a model for renewable energy development and utilisation under the 2003 Renewable Energy Policy Framework of the Philippine Department of Energy.

Under this framework, no new fossil fuel plants can be built on the island.³⁶ Climate Justice advocates new, sustainable, and just economic and political models.

______________________________________________________________________________________

³⁵ Yanez, V. (2009). "Engendering Equity in Ecuador's Ecosystem," Women in Action: Women in a Weary World, 2, 35-38.

³⁶ De los Reyes, R. (2009), "When Women's Power is Wisely Used in Negros." Women in Action:  Women in a Weary World, 2, 44-48

 

2. Information and communication campaigns — Information and communication campaigns involve spreading information about a certain issue to raise awareness about it or to work towards changing it. As discussed, many different communication tools can be used: print media (banners, posters, flyers, press releases, letter to the editor, cartoons), photos, radio, television, video, publicity events, documentary, theatre, and campaign materials (buttons, t-shirts, pens, etc)

The 10 Tactics project was launched in December 2009. Since this time hundreds of rights advocates from around the world have used these materials to deliver workshops for turning information into action and they have screened the 10 Tactics film to get people talking about opportunities and barriers for infoactivism. Read what these people say about the project here.

10 Tactics provides original and artful ways for rights advocates to capture attention and communicate a cause. It includes a 50-minute film documenting inspiring info-activism stories from around the world and a set of cards; with tools tips and advice, for you to work through as you plan your own info-activism. Volunteers have now created subtitles for the 10 Tactics film in more than 25 languages, while the support materials are available in six languages. Read more here about language options or to create your own translation

Video Volunteers Demand Land Rights

Land rights is a pressing issue that has major implications on people's, particularly women's, lived realities and livelihood. This was addressed by communities in Guijarat, India, as they created a video to raise awareness about land rights. They screened it in 25 nearby villages and put the video on YouTube. After the screenings 700 people rallied and filed complaints with the local government to have land fairly distributed to them.³⁷ This is a strong example of how information and communication campaigns can be effective in working towards social and environmental justice.

______________________________________________________________________________________

³⁷ Information Activism. (2010). "10 basics: campaign analytics." Retrieved on January 6th, 2011 from www.informationactivism.org

 

The Story of Stuff

Annie Leonard's video "The Story of Stuff" illustrates how effective video can be in information and communication campaigns. Annie wanted to raise awareness about the intersecting issues surrounding climate change. While she had initially been giving her presentation live, she realised that she wanted her message to be more accessible to a larger audience. Video seemed like the perfect medium for her message. She emphasised, "I wanted to talk to people who already knew there are some problems, were probably even active on one piece of the system - be it forest protection or indigenous peoples rights or worker safety or recycling-to inspire us all to think more broadly, to move beyond being single issue campaigns and to think about the underlying system that is driving so much environmental and social destruction."³⁸ The video proved to be very effective: to date the site hosting the film has had 8 million visits, and they have distributed 8000 DVDs for viewing in places unreached by high speed internet. Video reaches diverse communities and carries messages across great distances.

3. Community organising — involves organising resources and community members around a specific issue in order to raise awareness about it. It also involves communicating about the issue between those involved and the larger community. It can be formal or informal- even hosting a small discussion between relevant stakeholders at someone's house can be considered community organising.

Women's March for Gender in Climate

Justice Hundred of women marched for gender justice in climate justice at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) in Bangkok, Thailand on October 1, 2009. The march was organised and led by indigenous women, and included participation of women from organisations in Armenia, Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, and Thailand. It emphasised that women are often the hardest hit by climate change despite their minimal carbon footprint and highlighted the linkages between climate change, indigenous rights, and women's rights. It advocated for accountability of developed nations as well as women's meaningful participation in both formal and informal processes surrounding climate change.³⁹ Organising across regional borders and between different groups of women allowed them to amplify their collective voices in calling for climate justice.

______________________________________________________________________________________

³⁸ Somera, N. (2009), "More from the storyteller: Interview with Annie Leonard." Women in Action: Women in a Weary World, 2, 109-114.

³⁹ Somera, N. (2009), "Performance of persistence: A march for gender justice in climate justice." Women in Action: Women in a Weary World, 2, 64-65.

 

The Green Belt Movement

A larger example of community organising can be seen in the Green Belt Movement - a women's empowerment and environmental organisation in Kenya. It began as a grassroots tree planting initiative to address environmental degradation in the late 1970's with the emphasis: "the planting of trees is the planting of ideas." Today the organisation has over 600 community partners within Kenya and has planted over 40 million trees in Africa - contributing to slowing the processes of deforestation and desertification. They also work with regional and international organisations and provide multi-sectoral campaigns. One example of this is The Women for Change programs, which include capacity building workshops that support income-generating activities and provide reproductive and sexual health information. "The income-generating activities, primarily for women (though men are not excluded), build skills in areas such as food security, food processing and marketing, bee keeping and tree planting. The mission of Greenbelt Movement Kenya continues to mobilise communities for self-determination, justice, equity, poverty reduction and environmental conservation, using trees as the entry point."⁴⁰ The Greenbelt Movement is a good example of how grassroots community organising can build momentum to work towards social and environmental justice.

4. New ICTs and Social Media Tools - online blogs, social media sites (ie Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.), and mobile technology (texting i.e. text blasts, photos, and videos).

WEDO — Raising Awareness About Climate Change & Women's Human Rights Online

Women's Environment and Development Organisation (WEDO) is a non-governmental organisation working towards social and environmental justice, and emphasises that "women, as the majority of the world's poor, are among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. They are also critical to climate change solutions. WEDO approaches gender and climate from many angles to ensure that women are present at all levels and dimensions of climate change policy-making, strategising and action.⁴¹ WEDO uses its website to disseminate information about women's rights and climate change - providing blog posts and information about activity going on in the international arena that is relevant to engendering climate justice. It's website utilises social media tools such as Facebook allowing users to "Like" their page and share their materials easily. They provide information about climate change talks, as well as communicate about campaigns focused on women's human rights and climate change. They also make use of an email listserve which you can sign up for on the side of their homepage. WEDO is using new ICTs and social media tools to work towards engendering climate justice.

___________________________________________________________________________________

⁴⁰ Overview of Green Belt movement. Retrieved on January 5th, 2011 from http://www.suitel01. com/content/ overview-of-green-belt-movement-a51322

⁴¹ WEDO. Climate change. Retrieved on January 17, 2011 from http://www.wedo.org/category/ themes/sustainable-development-themes/climatechange

Oxfam - Stop Harnning Start Helping - Women's Rights and Climate Change Campaign

Oxfam is a non-governmental organisation whose mandate is that of "ending global poverty beginning with women's rights." Oxfam's advocacy serves as a good example of using new ICTs and social media tools to work towards engendering climate justice, as it uses a variety of these tools for its campaign entitled, "Stop Harming, Start Helping - Women's Rights and Climate Change." The focus of the campaign is an online petition that has thousands of signatures. Moreover, the campaign website has multiple videos on it, with women speaking about the effects of climate change on women and why they must be at the forefront of creating solutions to climate change. This is an effective advocacy strategy that allows people to quickly and easily find out more information about the effects of climate change on women.

 
Creating an Advocacy Plan

Within the context of this toolkit, the problem that we have identified is the need to work towards engendering climate justice. It is important to create an effective advocacy plan in order to continue to map out issues and possible solutions. While advocacy plans will differ depending on the time/ space/location of the women creating the plan, there are common elements of an advocacy plan that make it effective and efficient.

Common Elements of an Advocacy Plan

1. Objectives
What do you want to happen? What is your goal? Objectives should be SMART. This means that they should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-Bound.

2. Audience
Who is your target audience? In determining your audience, you have to identify the people you need to convince to take action. Who are the people to help you attain your objectives? What do they know about the issue? What are their interests and beliefs connected to the issue?

3. Message
What do you want to say? To put urgency to your message, it should be clear, simple, persuasive and backed up by facts or evidence. The goal is to create messages that work towards changes in behaviours, practices, policies, etc. We want to send transformational messages that inspire people to take action!

4. How to develop the message
There are three critical elements of any advocacy message: limited number of points, test the message (with the target audience), and ask for action (has to inspire change) Here are the basic principles of message development:
- Keep it simple, easy to grasp and to remember, to the point, short, and uncluttered; jargon free; can be repeated frequently. Using the same message repeatedly promotes retention more effectively than using multiple messages, It also builds comfort and familiarity with the ideas. 

- Put your frame around the issue - how do you want to frame your message? 

- Metaphors and images are very effective 

- Know your audience. You can check the message by looking at these points. The most effective way is to go back to your audience and discuss with them. Tailor the message depending on the issues and the targeted audience.

5. Presentation/Communication Tools
After determining your objectives, audience and message, the next step is to think about how to present or communicate your message. Your tools can range from print media, radio, television, personal interaction, visual arts, social networking tools, etc. What is the most effective way to communicate your objectives and the message to your audience?

6. Timetable
Since your advocacy should be time-bound, you have to identify the schedule of activities revolving around your campaign. Milestones or key activities that need to happen before the next action should be highlighted. What is your schedule and target dates to achieve objectives?

7. Resources
What kind of resources are needed, are available and are lacking to fulfill your objectives? Your campaign will require physical, human, information and financial resources. Are these available within your organisation? And if not, how will you source them? It is important to tailor your advocacy plan to fit the resources available to you.

8. Evaluation
This provides you with a chance to analyse what worked and what didn't in your advocacy plan. You must also plan where to go next after achieving your objectives. Was your advocacy plan effective? What issues arose from it? How did you meet those challenges? What would you do differently next time?

It is critical that as many details as possible are identified so that you can visualise how your advocacy campaign will look. Note that this process is dynamic and ongoing - you might need to go back and change elements of your advocacy plan based on answers you brainstorm or ideas that you introduce. For example, you might consider changing your communication tool/platform based on the resources available and the timeline that you establish. Mapping out your advocacy plan helps you to think about potential challenges ahead of time, and gives you an opportunity., to think of different ways to effectively achieve your objective.

It is important to keep in mind that development of the advocacy plan is a participatory process that should involve your partners, community members, especially community women.

Below is a sample template of an advocacy plan. It is a tool to help you organise your advocacy plan and create the map you need to help run a successful climate justice campaign. There are specific sections for talking about your objective. your message, the tools/platforms you want to use, your timeline, as well as the resources needed. In order to run an effective advocacy campaign, it is important that you take into account the different forums for change, and the diverse partners that you can work with. Because climate justice is an intersectional issue, it is important that your advocacy campaign is multi-sectoral. Completing this template will help you clarify your objective, your message, and how you carry out your campaign - making it as effective and efficient as possible.

Take a few minutes and begin mapping out your advocacy plan,keeping in mind that it is subject to change and that it will need to be continuously redrafted as you work through the processes. Below is an example of a detailed advocacy plan and timetable for you to refer to.

If you are having difficulties mapping out the different elements of your advocacy plan, try some brainstorming strategies like free writing or mind mapping. Remember, this plan is for you - use it in a way that works best for you!

Mapping Out Women's Experiences of Climate Change
Who do we want to talk to?(Audience)	Other women in the community	Leader's / Policy  Makers	Media	Other relevant social institutions / groups (i.e. NGO's, community organisations, church, academe etc.,).
What do we want to tell them? (Message)
How are we going to tell them? (Communication tool)
When and where are we going to tell them (time frame, location, strategy)
What do we need? (Resources and support needed)

 

Conclusion:
Working Towards Engendering Climate Change

Communication and advocacy are central to working towards engendering climate justice. Feminist development communication emphasises the important roles that women have to play in creating and disseminating knowledge. Women's experiences of climate change need to be surfaced if they are to be addressed through policy changes, programmes, etc.

It is important to ensure that communication plans and advocacy plans are created to gather knowledge and work towards making transformative change towards social and environmental justice. Moreover, these changes must be linked to broader structural changes or global issues such as food security, climate change, etc. By working out the fine details of your communication and advocacy plans, you will more likely be able to create effective campaigns that have results that are empowering and sustainable for women and their communities. Indeed, there cannot be climate justice without gender justice!