Enhancing Role Of Young Girls And Women In Climate Action Through Fair And Equitable Access To Technology

Environmental injustice towards women and girls has been recognized as a major concern by the Women’s Empowerment Working Group set up under India’s G20 Presidency in 2023. Their close association with agriculture, forestry and other natural resource systems not only puts them at risk of loss and damage on account of climate hazards, but the same association and their role as caregivers in the community uniquely positions them to contribute to as well as anchor climate resilience efforts. This vulnerability to climate change and potential as agents of change in climate action calls for enhanced inclusion of young girls and women in climate discourses and decision- making. In order to operationalize this, technology transfer from Global North to Global South, and within Global South, to young girls and women in backward communities of the developing countries is paramount. By enhancing equal and fair access to climate mitigation and adaptation technologies, especially related to renewable energy, young girls and women can be both economically empowered and safeguarded against the impact of climate change. Through transfer of technologies such as Al and open data platforms and building communities’ capacities to use these, gaps which currently prevent participation of women in the decision-making processes can be resolved. In this context, this Policy Brief draws from existing mechanisms and good practices across the G20 economies to devise recommendations for promoting an equal and fair access to climate technologies for equipping young to combat the effect of climate change. Adoption of these recommendations will not only improve adaptive capacities but also enhance women’s representation in climate action at local, national and global level among the G20 economies.