It’s not a new fact that the climate crisis affects millions, if not billions of people around the world. However, there’s one group that is more disproportionately affected by the crisis: women. The climate crisis fuels gender inequality, and more needs to be said about it.

Climate change amplifies existing gender disparities simply because of the large impact climate change has on the general population. It’s considered a “threat multiplier” by UN Women, which means that it escalates socio-political conditions in conflict-affected settings. The more intense the climate crisis grows to be, the more vulnerable women are. When climate crises fuel disaster, women typically have less access to resources and information because of long-standing gender imbalances, their access to healthcare is limited, and they’re more prone to violence. Currently, the UN estimates around 80% of those displaced by climate change are women.

When you look further from the direct impact climate change has on women, you find that climate change often operates alongside other inequalities that women face throughout the world. Climate change often impacts women who are also part of various minorities, have disabilities, are migrants, or live in unstable conditions. It’s important to address the intersectionality of all these issues in order to properly understand why some groups are more vulnerable than others.