A new UN Women report released on Tuesday, November 10, shows that more than 1.5 billion women and girls worldwide live in severe climate hotspots where extreme weather, fragile livelihoods, and deep gender inequality exist.
The figure was released at the COP31 UN Climate Conference in Antalya, climate change threatens to push up to 141 million additional women into extreme poverty by 2050 under worst-case projections.
The report highlights that a 1°C increase in global average temperatures links to women losing 34 per cent more income than men due to limited options for non-farm work.
The data also reveals that prolonged drought conditions across 14 studied countries correlated with a 21 per cent increase in sexual violence against adolescent girls, while drought-prone environments consistently recorded higher rates of child marriage.
Furthermore, women currently carry the primary burden for household water collection in two-thirds of off-grid homes, a task projected to demand 30 per cent more time by 2050 due to severe droughts.
Additionally, over 326 million women and girls still lack basic electricity access even as energy demands rise globally.
UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous said targeted investments could unlock up to 68 million new green jobs for women by 2035, and urged global leaders at COP31 to place women’s rights and
