• Energy Research

AbstractClimate change impacts are being felt across sectors in all regions of the world, and adaptation projects are being implemented to reduce climate risks and existing vulnerabilities. Climate adaptation actions also have significant synergies and tradeoffs with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 5 on gender equality. Questions are increasingly being raised about the gendered and climate justice implications of different adaptation options. This paper investigates if reported climate change adaptation actions are contributing to advancing the goal of gender equality (SDG 5) or not. It focuses on linkages between individual targets of SDG 5 and climate change adaptation actions for nine major sectors where transformative climate actions are envisaged. The assessment is based on evidence of adaptation actions documented in 319 relevant research publications published during 2014–2020. Positive links to nine targets under SDG 5 are found in adaptation actions that are consciously designed to advance gender equality. However, in four sectors—ocean and coastal ecosystems; mountain ecosystems; poverty, livelihood, sustainable development; and industrial system transitions, we find more negative links than positive links. For adaptation actions to have positive impacts on gender equality, gender-focused targets must be intentionally brought in at the prioritisation, designing, planning, and implementation stages. An SDG 5+ approach, which takes into consideration intersectionality and gender aspects beyond women alone, can help adaptation actions move towards meeting gender equality and other climate justice goals. This reflexive approach is especially critical now, as we approach the mid-point in the timeline for achieving the SDGs.

Characterized by inequalities along gender, income, caste, and ethnic differences, urban areas are especially vulnerable to climate risks. Recognizing this, cities are adapting through infrastructural, ecosystem-based, institutional, and behavioural interventions at multiple scales. However, the extent to which these interventions enable or constrain the achievement of specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) remains unclear. Using a systematic review, we evaluate the impacts of urban adaptation options on SDG 5 (gender equality), This review highlights that the urban adaptation literature tends to focus inordinately on women's differential (and additional) vulnerability to climate risks with limited evidence on the gendered outcomes of adaptation interventions. We find that although some adaptations such as urban agriculture interventions unequivocally increase agency for women, early warning systems and building risk awareness through public messaging showed mixed effects, with the outcomes depending on the implementation of the intervention and socio-cultural context. Further, the analysis indicates that adaptations such as urban agriculture can positively impact agency but, may show negative interactions with other indicators such as women's paid and unpaid work. We also identify key knowledge gaps and reflect on expanding the scope of SDG 5 to take a more intersectional and relational approach to gender equality.