Mobilizing Knowledge on Gender, Equity, and Justice in Climate Change Adaptation

Effective adaptation action requires a whole-of-society approach, implicating a broad range of actors, including governments, civil society organizations, private sector actors, community organizations, service providers, and individual citizens. These actors need the best available evidence to integrate considerations of gender, equity, and justice into their adaptation efforts.

The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the Sixth Assessment Report of the IPCC’s Working Group II on Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability (WG II report), includes more references to gender, equity, and justice than any previous IPCC report. However, the report is over 3,000 pages long, with references to gender, equity, and justice distributed throughout the document. Additionally, the IPCC reports are written for a technical audience of governments, policy-makers, academics, and those in the scientific community. This can make it difficult for adaptation practitioners and other interested actors to capture the key messages and apply them in their work.

In an effort to increase the uptake of gender-responsive and socially inclusive approaches to adaptation, we have systematically reviewed the WG II report and summarized the key messages on gender, equity, and justice. We collaborated with a group of advocates and practitioners to explore how to illustrate and explain these messages in a relevant and accessible way, putting them in the context of their experiences living and working in different parts of Africa.

This technical brief unpacks these key messages with illustrative examples and a companion comic: A Story of Gender, Equity, and Justice in Climate Change Adaptation. The brief can be used on its own or with the comic to better understand and communicate this essential knowledge toward more just and effective adaptation to climate change.