including through a shift away from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. 75% www.careclimatechange.org. Increased f
Climate Change & Sexual Reproductive Health & Rights (SRHR) THE SITUATION The impacts of climate change on health are already evident. These include direct effects, such as general warming leading to heat-related mortality, exhaustion and dehydration, and increased disease transmission. But it also means indirect effects, such as on food production, migration rates and the ability of people to work in extreme weather conditions. Adverse impacts affect women’s rights e.g. when income loss forces them to resort to survival sex or other forms of exploitative behaviour. Extreme events can also discourage mothers from breastfeeding their babies and lead to poor nutrition.
SEXUAL REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH & RIGHTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE CARE has committed to pursue the outcome of 100 million women and girls exercising their rights to sexual, reproductive and maternal health and a life free from violence by 2020. CARE is committed to leveraging its track record in climate change adaptation with its track record in promoting SRH and rights, and aims to address: Ø Unmet needs for family planning in contexts with high rates of fertility; Ø The growing climate change impacts on other health concerns that will undermine SRHR; Ø Adaptation to climate change to address the needs, priorities, and rights of people on the frontline of climate change.
ACTION RECOMMENDATIONS Increased focus on the ways in which climate change is impacting the epidemiology of diseases Effective, gender-differentiated action in emergencies and crisis-affected settings Strengthen the functioning of health systems and investments to promote equitable access to quality health services
Increase investments and financial support for climate adaptation in health and closely related areas (food, water, energy etc.)
75%
Promote and scale-up approaches to SRHR, population dynamics, and increase resilience in a climate disrupted world
FACTS & FIGURES Ø Climate-related disasters often affect women disproportionately, increase gender inequality, and may result in increased gender-based violence. Ø In Mozambique, the 2015/2016 drought affected more than 1.4 million people who had few household-level reserves built up. Ø Studies show that at warming levels of more than 1.5oC above pre-industrial levels climate change impacts may become much more severe and adaptation increasingly impossible. Ø The rapid global emission reduction compatible with 1.5oC limit present significant health benefit opportunities, including through a shift away from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources.
