On International Women’s Day, Congresswoman Barbara Lee’s Women and Climate Change Act reintroduced in the U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, on International Women’s Day, Congresswoman Barbara Lee’s Women and Climate Change Act (WCCA) of 2022 was reintroduced by Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI).
WCCA addresses the global impact of climate change on women, and commits to empowering women in planning and implementation of sustainable solutions to combat the climate crisis. It also requires the development of practices to help communities embark on a path toward clean and sustainable development. The House companion of this bill was reintroduced by Congresswoman Lee (CA-13) last year.
“The impacts of climate change are not gender neutral. Research shows that across the globe, structural inequality and discrimination mean women will feel the impacts of climate change more severely than men. For example, it has been recorded that women are 14 times more likely than men to die in natural disasters,” said Congresswoman Lee. “I am proud to reintroduce the Women and Climate Change Act alongside Senator Hirono to empower women in economic development planning and international climate change policies and practices to help bolster women’s health, safety, and prosperity in communities globally.”
“Women, who make up 70% of the global population experiencing poverty, disproportionately face the brunt of climate change impacts. This is largely due to the fact that these women rely on natural resources for their livelihoods. Women also tend to secure their families during disasters, and are more likely to be unable to work, seek an education or otherwise provide for their families as a result of a disaster. While at the same time, women often having little to no say in developing strategies to combat this crisis,” said Senator Hirono. “I’m proud to introduce this legislation which would include women at all levels, from planning to implementation, and providing them with the platform and support to carry out strategies to combat and respond to our climate crisis. We have an opportunity to create fair, effective, and sustainable solutions to both respond to the climate crisis and empower women through economic development—and I hope my colleagues will join me in getting this legislation across the finish line.”
It is estimated that 70 percent of the global population experiencing poverty are women. As these women often rely on natural resources for their livelihoods, the negative impacts of climate change on these resources, such as flooding of agricultural crops or disease in livestock, will disproportionately impact their ways of life and their ability to feed their families. Additionally, since women often are the ones to secure their families during disasters, responding to disasters leaves less time for them to provide for themselves or their family, pursue educational opportunities, or develop other skills.
With climate change, the frequency and severity of future natural disasters is expected to increase. A lack of education, coupled with decreased natural resources and little to no participation in decision-making processes, serve as barriers to women’s mobility, making it more likely that they will be in locations that are experiencing disproportionate climate change impacts. Additionally, as climate change is expected to increase global instability, women are likely to face increased systemic violence. These variables, among others, are expected to place disproportionate burdens on women across the globe, making it imperative that women have a seat at the table when planning for and implementing climate change adaptation strategies.
The WCCA would direct federal agencies to lead the global effort to mitigate the effects of climate change on women and girls around the world by establishing coordinated and comprehensive strategies. More specifically, this legislation establishes a Federal Interagency Working Group on Women and Climate Change within the U.S. Department of State. Members of this working group include, but are not limited to, designees from the Department of State, the Agency for International Development, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
The primary duties and responsibilities of the working group include:
- Developing federal policies and activities related to the effects of climate change on women;
- Identifying and improving data collection on the impact of climate change on women; and
- Developing a strategy to prevent and respond to the effects of climate change on women.
The full bill text is available here. The link to a one pager is available here.
The legislation is cosponsored by Senators Blumenthal (D-CT), Durbin (D-IL), Markey (D-MA), Smith (D-MN), Warren (D-MA), and Whitehouse (D-RI).
The House bill is cosponsored by Representatives Barragan (D-CA), Bass (D-CA), Blumenauer (D-OR), Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Bowman (D-NY), Carson (D-IN), Casten (D-IL), Castor (D-FL), Chu (D-CA), Clarke (D-NY), Cleaver (D-MO), Cohen (D-TN), Connolly (D-VA), Davis (D-IL), DeGette (D-CO), Demings (D-FL), DeSaulnier (D-CA), Eshoo (D-CA), Espaillat (D-NY), Grijalva (D-AZ), Hastings (D-FL), Hayes (D-CT), Houlahan (D-PA), Huffman (D-CA), Jackson Lee (D-TX), Jayapal (D-WA), Keating (D-MA), Khanna (D-CA), Kuster (D-NH), Larsen (D-WA), Lawrence (D-MI), Lieu (D-CA), Lowenthal (D-CA), Malinowski (D-NJ), Maloney (D-NY), Matsui (D-CA), McGovern (D-MA), Meng (D-NY), Moore (D-WI), Nadler (D-NY), Del. Norton (D-DC), Omar (D-MN), Panetta (D-CA), Pingree (D-ME), Pocan (D-WI), Pressley (D-MA), Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Rush (D-IL), Del. San Nicolas (D-GU), Schakowsky (D-IL), Sherman (D-CA), Sires (D-NJ), Speier (D-CA), Stansbury (D-NM), Sanchez (D-CA), Takano (D-CA), Titus (D-NV), Torres (D-CA), Trahan (D-MA), Underwood (D-IL), Velazquez (D-NY), and Wild (D-PA).
The WCCA has been endorsed by Sierra Club, Planned Parenthood, the Women’s Environment and Development Organization, MADRE, Outdoor Afro, California Environmental Voters, Oxfam America, the League of Conservation Voters, Schools for Climate Action, the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project, and others.
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Congresswoman Lee is a member of the House Appropriations Committee and Chair of the Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations. She serves as Co-Chair of the Steering & Policy Committee, former Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Chair Emeritus of the Progressive Caucus, Co-Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Health Task Force, and Co-Chair of the Pro-Choice Caucus. She also serves as Chair of the Majority Leader’s Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity. As a member of the House Democratic Leadership, she is the highest ranking Black woman in the U.S. Congress.