Climate change escalates its impacts through inequalities, with one such being gender. When climate situations worsen, they disproportionately affect women.
For women, access to financial and technological resources is often limited, and they bear a larger share of household responsibilities. Underestimating these factors is likely to decrease resilience capacity, making it harder to achieve development goals. Hence, it is necessary to establish a connection between the sustainable development goals involving gender equality and climate action. India and Taiwan could combine their strengths to achieve these goals together.
In India, gender issues and climate vulnerability are deeply interrelated. Many women in agriculture and the informal sector lack land rights, access to irrigation, credit and crop insurance. Such constraints significantly limit their ability to adjust to climate change.
According to the Indian National Labour Force Survey, women account for more than 42 percent of India’s agricultural workforce. In states such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, drought and heat waves result in women walking longer distances in search of water, becoming the first to lose their source of income and doing more household work. These issues indicate that the direct execution of climate programs tailored for women is an urgent need.
India has adopted environmentally friendly and gender-sensitive measures to become more climate resilient. Several “climate-smart village” projects by the institutions of agricultural research and the governments of the states have led to wider access to drought-resistant seeds, rainwater harvesting and natural farming practices. In many villages, women’s self-help groups have played a pivotal role in the management of seed banks, the dissemination of weather information, and the coordination of community responses to extreme heat. A few states have set up pilot programs for parametric insurance that provide informal female workers with immediate, heat-triggered subsidies. The programs provide monetary assistance quickly as support during a heat emergency; thus, they lessen the risk of income shocks.
Likewise, Taiwan has a different bundle of strengths, which are equally valuable. The government has spent heavily on early-warning systems, disaster preparedness training, and community resilience programs. According to the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, the female labor force participation rate was about 60 percent in September last year, demonstrating strong institutional inclusion. Women make up 42.5 percent of the Legislative Yuan, the greatest proportion in East Asia. Taiwan’s success in gender inclusion, demonstrated by high female participation in the labor market, local government, civil society and social support networks, is a strong base for the realization of inclusive climate plans.
Moreover, Taiwan’s scientific breakthroughs should not be overlooked. High-precision farming machinery, sensor-based irrigation setups and water-saving technologies are some of the factors that could bring about a revolution in small landholder farming operations in India. Several universities and research departments in Taiwan are collaborating with Indian universities to develop sensors, monitor crops and create climate models. Completion of these projects with a gender focus would reduce the workload for women and provide them with more control over resources.
Partnered demonstration projects might execute the smart agriculture methods from Taiwan in the villages of India, where women carry out the major part of farming. Exchange programs between community disaster response teams in Taiwan and women’s self-help groups in India could lead to hefty disaster readiness at grassroots levels. Monetary collaborations, such as gender-sensitive climate insurance or microcredit facilities, could empower female entrepreneurs and farmers to take on climate challenges.
To prevent the occurrence of detrimental oversights, climate projects should incorporate gender-responsive budgeting, collect sex-disaggregated data and conduct gender assessments.
Climate policies in India are progressively taking gender into account in adaptation measures, while Taiwan is setting an example by integrating social protection in disaster preparedness. If the two economies synchronize their efforts, they could pave the way for efficient, inclusive climate governance not only in their region, but beyond it.
Women are among the groups most affected by climate change, yet they are essential to adaptation because they produce food, provide care, hold local knowledge and lead communities. Combined with Taiwan’s technological and institutional capabilities, India’s large-scale rural programs could become a powerful platform for the two countries to collaborate and make a positive impact on gender justice and climate action in practical ways.
India and Taiwan, by addressing women’s voices and needs in their partnership, could not only enhance their climate resilience, but also become a beacon for democratic, inclusive climate action across the Indo-Pacific region.
Sutandra Singha is an independent researcher with a doctorate in international studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, specializing in climate change.
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