On this occasion we viewed a webinar entitled “Every Degree Deepens Inequality”, sponsored by ActionAid. The speakers were Michelle Higelin of ActionAid Australia, Flora Vano of ActionAid Vanuatu and Natalie Isaacs, author and founder of One Million Women.
It was made clear by the three speakers that climate change impacts women more than men, particularly in communities in Asia-Pacific. On low-lying Pacific islands for example, the land is vulnerable to tidal and storm changes. Cultural norms exclude women from decision-making processes, despite the expectations that they will hold families and communities together in times of crisis.
The webinar brought us some hopeful news and encouraged Australian women to support our overseas counterparts. As Soroptimists, we wondered whether similar links between climate change and domestic and family violence also exist for Australian women living in rural and remote areas.