Climate Change in Nepal: A gendered perspective

Climate change has been a major issue for nations, especially for the advancement of human life.^[1] The consequences of climate change have differed from nation to nation. However, recent studies and economic statistics suggest that this could have a more noticeable detrimental effect in some developing nations.^[2] Because a major part of the rural population is dependent on agriculture for its livelihood, any change in the availability of water has its impacts directly felt concerning the quality of life.^[3] In addition, climate change further exacerbates already existing social, political, and economic fault lines—inequities that impede development efforts and reduce people’s livelihoods.^[4]

The reality of climate change

Among the nations at risk from the adverse effects of climate change is Nepal.^[5] The continuous drought and erratic rainfall, rising temperatures—all force further pressure on rural communities like Madhesh. The status of women becomes more vulnerable due to dependency on agriculture in the absence of alternative earning opportunities. The burden of sustaining families through unpredictable weather cycles falls disproportionately on their shoulders.

Historically, a significant portion of Nepal’s population has depended on agriculture for their livelihood. The country grapples with major socio-structural challenges such as caste, class, and gender-based discrimination at the local level, alongside ongoing efforts toward modernization.^[6] Consequently, Nepal faces the intertwined global issues of climate change and gender inequality.

A Gendered Impact

Men and women in Nepal working with natural resources, such as agriculture, are all affected by climate change, but not in the same way.^[7] Women are more vulnerable than men to the impacts of climate change, being that the majority of poor people in Nepal are women, and they depend on threatened natural resources.^[8] This disparity is further reflected in the different roles, responsibilities, decision-making powers, access to land and natural resources, opportunities, and needs that men and women possess.^[9] Women and girls, with their varied roles as food producers and providers, caregivers, and economic actors in the context of Nepali society, are most likely to be affected by disasters, climate change, and food price shocks.^[10]

Women in rural contexts have expressed a lot of willingness to adapt to changing situations, but they lack access to resources, skills, and decision-making spaces. The case of prolonged erratic monsoons and droughts renders subsistence farming very unreliable in one village in Terai. Since there is no land ownership with financial independence, recovery from environmental shocks would be minimal.

Policy Gaps

Nepal is a low-income developing state, having attained significant strides toward economic development and gender relations. Endowed with high mountainous terrain and delicate geology, Nepal has an orientation that predisposes it to severe impacts from climate change. Women in poor economies frequently have limited access to basic resources and are thus more exposed to the impacts of climate change. The Government of Nepal has put in place policies and frameworks, like the National Climate Change Policy and the LAPA. Still, currently, such initiatives have significant gaps in integrating a strong gender perspective. For the most part, women remain underrepresented in decision making at all levels in regard to climate change; more often than not, they are very rarely ever consulted on adaptation projects at the local level. This is another gap and must be addressed. It is not just enough to prepare gender-responsive climate policies on paper; their real implementation at the grassroots level should be felt.

Nepal is not the only one facing these challenges. Countries such as Bangladesh are successfully integrating women into climate resilience efforts by setting up adaptation initiatives that are run by women and offering grants to female entrepreneurs in areas affected by climate change. For example, Rwanda mainstreamed gender into national environmental policies. It is important that Nepal learns from these cases to ensure that its climate action plans are not keeping out those who are most vulnerable to environmental disasters.

Conclusion

The central role of power and inequality determines resilience, especially against climate change. Strengthening resilience in Nepal would require not only establishing the technical aspects of disaster preparedness but also a shift of transformation in power dynamics and gender norms. Since women suffer climate impacts more than men do, it is important to empower women by opening up space for them in leadership, ensuring their equal access to resources, and guaranteeing their rights.

One of the most important steps for Nepal is to invest in climate education for women and groups that have been marginalized. Training programs on sustainable agriculture, alternative livelihoods, and financial literacy could help build long-term resilience. This would also help amplify the voices of women in policy-making on their own requirements through quotas, incentivization schemes, or leadership programs targeted at women.

That means the gender-inclusive climate resilient strategy should merge women’s unique insights into the drive while promoting shared responsibility. If proactive steps are not taken by Nepal at this stage, it will not be in a position to help its population thrive in the face of these climate change challenges. Change can only come by acting, and assuredly, every effort counts.