The third Women’s Climate Assembly (WCA) took place recently in Dakar, Senegal, bringing together roughly 150 women activists and community leaders from 14 West and Central African countries. The meeting focused on addressing the impacts of the climate crisis in Africa. Among the key resolutions that emerged, participants agreed to establish an African women’s climate justice day. The assembly convened at a critical moment as the effects of the climate crisis are increasingly felt across the continent. Africa is said to be the region most vulnerable to climate change, and African women are the first to be impacted. For instance, a study published in February 2024 found that in South Africa, severe flooding destroyed local markets and infrastructure, forcing many women, especially smallholder farmers, to start growing food locally to get by. Across affected areas, more than 25 million women face food insecurity as supplies are disrupted, crops are lost and access to nutritious food restricted. Research shows that women face “a double burden of gender inequality and environmental degradation.” “In most African communities, women are the guardians of nature; they care for children and aged persons, they cultivate the farms and go in search for water. As such, when climatic conditions are harsh, with prolonged droughts for example, they are the first to feel these impacts,” Oumou Koltoum Koulibaly, the francophone coordinator for energy and climate justice at WoMin African Alliance, said in a phone call. “Women are the most affected by the climate crisis, yet often underrepresented in…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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