Gender-Based Violence on the Rise As Climate Crisis Intensifies

As the planet gets hotter and extreme weather events become more frequent, the report warns that gender-based violence will further escalate. By 2090, 10% of cases of intimate partner violence will be caused by climate change, with a predicted 4.7% increase in violence for every 1C-rise. While climate change does not directly cause violence, it intensifies pre-existing socio-economic and environmental factors that negatively impact women and girls, putting them at risk of increased violence. This includes financial instability, water scarcity, food insecurity, loss of shelter and conflict.

As these converging issues worsen under the pressure of climate change, they collide with entrenched inequalities, reinforcing patriarchal norms and marginalization. 

The report also warns that for women and girls already suffering from violence, the severity and forms this violence takes could increase in the future. This includes femicide, trafficking, child marriage and rape as a weapon of war. Certain groups are also at disproportionate risk of violence, such as women environmental human rights defenders. 

Link to full story here.