(prepared by UNFPA Türkiye office)

November 13, 2024

The industrial advancements in the last century have paved the way for great developments in economies, but the achievements were at the expense of nature. The gasses released by industries caused global warming, which changed the climate of the earth. Climate related extreme weather events caused by global warming are increasing in incidence and intensity, and are making the news on our TVs and newspapers everyday. 2024 is on track to be the hottest year in history, and 2025 is expected to surpass this record. People worry about the sheer volume of the risk: The climate crisis is the common threat for humanity. 

What are the reasons of Climate Change?

The primary driver of climate change lies in the emission of greenhouse gasses that stems from industrial activities and high rates of consumptions in the global north. In addition to industrial activities and excessive consumption, food waste is another major cause of climate change, accounting for 8 to 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. By wasting food, we are also destroying our only planet. Plastic pollution is also a major cause of global warming. If left unchecked, the ocean will contain more plastic by the year 2050 than fish by mass if manufacturing and pollution continue at their current rates. When microplastics degrade in the ocean, they enter marine food webs and have a direct negative impact on ecosystem health and human well-being. 

Climate change affects our health, ability to grow food, housing, safety, and work. Increasingly, research shows us that all dimensions of the population are impacted, this includes a population's fertility, mortality and migration. It increases rates of domestic violence and can have a knock on effect on school attendance and child marriage.  Clean water access directly affects women and girls who rely on water for household tasks but also personal hygiene in particular while menstruating. 

It is a global emergency and one of the greatest challenges facing humanity today. Adapting to climate consequences is key: It protects people, homes, businesses, livelihoods, infrastructure and natural ecosystems. The first ones who need to be included into adaptation plans are the most vulnerable groups as they have the fewest resources to cope with climate hazards.

How does Climate Change affect demography?

Climate change critically effects demographic resilience in several ways: 

• It affects all aspects of life and hurts everyone, but vulnerable groups including women and youth are disproportionately hit.
• Forces people to leave their homes and cause uncontrolled internal and interstate migration.
• Affects fertility and pregnancy outcomes.
• Threatens the livelihoods of people who rely on natural resources to make a living, most of which are women.
• Exacerbates the social, economic, and political status of women and girls, and significantly increases their exposure to the risk of gender-based violence and child marriages .
• Impedes access to clean water, which is essential for hygiene, particularly for women and girls. 

Each of these has demographic implications in short and long term. Communities need locally available solutions to strengthen their ability to adapt, and they also need scaled-up and targeted action. In particular, women and girls – who are already disproportionately impacted – will continue to be left behind if such measures are not enacted.

Impacts on women and girls

While climate change is a threat for everyone, it does not affect everyone equally. For many women and young people, the impact of climate change worsens their already existing challenges including health and protection issues such as reproductive health including fertility, gender-based violence and child marriage.

At the forefront are the poor and most vulnerable, majority of which are women. They often lack the resources required to adapt to the changing climate and ensure the protection of their livelihoods/food security and well-being. For many women and girls, and other marginalized and vulnerable groups of people, as well as persons with disabilities, the impacts of climate change worsens their vulnerabilities.

• Disasters exacerbate existing gender inequalities, with women and children being 14 times more likely to die than men, and 4 out of 5 displaced people being women and girls.
• Food waste exacerbates hunger, with women and girls often being the hardest hit as the last to eat. Plastic pollution in the ocean threatens ecosystem health and human well-being, with microplastics posing risks to pregnant women and their babies.
• Women are more likely to be affected by climate change due to their reliance on climate-sensitive work and their role in unpaid care work.
• Clean water access directly affects women and girls who rely on water for household tasks but also personal hygiene in particular while menstruating. 
• Climate change affects sexual and reproductive health, exacerbating maternal and neonatal health issues and increasing the risk of gender-based violence.
• There is evidence that temperature extremes adversely affect birth outcomes, such as, changes in length of gestation, birth weight, stillbirth, and neonatal stress. 
• Disruptions to health services during disasters further compound these challenges, including limited access to reproductive health care and menstrual hygiene products.
• Increased droughts force women and girls to travel longer distances for resources, exposing them to higher risks of violence and transactional sex.
• In acute climate-related emergencies and displacements - girls’ access to schools also becomes limited which may lead to child, early and forced marriages as a tactic to address family poverty. 

There is an urgent need for gender-responsive approaches in climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies to address these intersecting challenges. The disproportionate impact of climate change on women and girls, particularly in terms of increased vulnerability to extreme weather events and disruptions to essential services demand more action in the solution. Current efforts to adapt to climate change are simply not sufficient. There is a big room for development in positioning women as empowered actors for adaptation and mitigation.

Climate change & Türkiye

From changing temperatures and weather patterns to severe storms and rising sea levels, the effects of climate change are impacting us all. Like most Mediterranean countries, Türkiye is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. In recent decades, flooding, heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, landslides and extreme wind storms have affected the country with increasing frequency and intensity.

Türkiye is on the forefront of the massive changes that the climate crisis has been causing. The average temperature in Türkiye in 2023 was 15.1°C, 1.2°C above the 1991-2020 average of 13.9°C. The country saw 1475 extreme weather events in 2023 alone, and cannot pursue a ‘wait-and-see’ approach, the country is bound to join climate action for its future. 

Climate change also affects displacement and migration patterns. In terms of climate induced migration, Türkiye is expected to receive a large number of migrants in the upcoming years. Communities, particularly those in rural and coastal areas, may face displacement due to factors such as droughts, floods, forest fires or sea-level rise. Displacement often disrupts social networks and support systems, rendering women and girls more vulnerable to gender-based violence, including sexual exploitation, trafficking, and child, early and forced marriages.

Climate-related phenomena such as water scarcity, crop failures, and deforestation can exacerbate the burden on women, forcing them to travel longer distances in search of resources. Climate change may escalate interpersonal tensions and conflicts, leading to an increased risk of GBV incidents in Türkiye. Climate-related disasters can disrupt essential services, including healthcare and shelters. This can leave survivors of GBV without access to critical assistance and protection mechanisms, exacerbating their vulnerability and bringing them towards critical situations such as domestic violence and early and forced child marriages.

In Turkiye a number of efforts exist to tackle climate change, including the Zero Waste effort spearheaded by Emine Erdoğan, the First Lady of Turkiye. Türkiye revised nationally determined contributions (NDCs) - the commitments that countries make to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions as part of climate change mitigation in scope of the Paris Agreement - and has committed to a 41% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. It also intends to peak its emissions in 2038 at the latest and achieve net zero by 2053.

To do so, Türkiye needs to take more preventive action against climate change, given its adverse effects on environmental degradation, resource scarcity and human rights issues. 

What does UNFPA do?

Understanding the linkage between population dynamics and climate change is essential for working on policies that address this issue through the lens of human rights and gender equality, including reproductive health rights, while safeguarding the environment. Having recognized that broader coalitions are required for long-lasting solutions, UNFPA is working with governments and other partners in the design of people-centered climate change solutions and enabling people and communities to adapt by putting women and girls at the center of these efforts.

In terms of UNFPA's landmark International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) which aims to transform global thinking on population and development issues, UNFPA rolled out an innovative set of action recommendations to reduce poverty, improve life expectancy, and education. The valuable developments in these issues have been hindered by global crises such as climate change and conflict, and adopting them to the emerging realities is imperative. 

Here are some key highlights from ICPD on climate change resilience;

• Integration of SRHR in climate adaptation.

• Adapting climate-resilient health systems.

• Inclusion of young people in climate action & governance.

• Investments to compensate for loss and damage. 

• Adopt the Global Compact on migration and refugees. 

When responding to climate emergencies, gender-based violence should be addressed as well where UNFPA has the respective guidelines and principles in place. UNFPA has held constructive debates on  the correlation between gender-based violence and climate change with its partners, and has sought ways to better address this prevalent issue. 

To make a real difference, UNFPA suggests that the actions fighting climate change focus on investing in the health, education, and empowerment of women and girls. This helps communities adapt better to the changing climate. It's crucial to have strong early warning systems, disaster prevention, and social support measures in place to reduce the impact of climate-related disasters on the most vulnerable groups.

In this scope, UNFPA commits to engaging with authorities to assess vulnerable communities and promote climate literacy and awareness-raising activities to empower them. UNFPA proposes several areas of support, emphasizing the empowerment of women and young people in adaptation and mitigation efforts. This involves including them in decision-making processes, supporting innovative solutions that will improve the adaptive capacity of their communities, and ensuring access to health and protection services. 

UNFPA’s transformative results are achievable and sustainable with an effective climate action.

It’s time to act now!