Energy Tracker Asia’s latest Special Report: “Women’s Health in the Climate Crisis” (March 2026) examines how climate change—through extreme heat, droughts, floods, and disasters—poses heightened health risks for women and gender-diverse people. It highlights that existing gender inequalities and limited access to resources worsen vulnerability, with impacts spanning physical and reproductive health, mental well-being, and caregiving burdens. Case studies from India and Pakistan illustrate the disproportionate costs of heat and climate shocks on women, including loss of livelihoods, heightened health risks, and increased exposure to violence and water- and sanitation-related challenges. The report calls for gender-responsive climate action and enhanced support for women to prepare, adapt and recover.

Key Highlights:

• Unequal burden of climate impacts: Women, girls, and gender-diverse people face disproportionate health, economic, and social risks from climate-related heat, droughts, floods, and disasters due to entrenched gender inequality and limited access to resources and decision-making power.
• Heat as a major health threat: Extreme heat disproportionately affects women, exacerbating physical, mental, and reproductive health issues; many lack adequate cooling or healthcare access, and heat can compound caregiving responsibilities.
• Water, drought, and menstrual health: Water scarcity and drought worsen menstrual hygiene, increase the time and labour burdens on women, and heighten the risk of girls dropping out of school; access to clean water is a critical determinant of health.
• Reproductive health under climate stress: Climate change disrupts access to essential maternal and reproductive care, increases risks during pregnancy (including higher infant mortality with each 1°C rise), and heightens exposure to pollutants and vector-borne diseases.
• Disasters amplify gender-based vulnerabilities: During floods and other extreme events, women are more likely to experience poverty, displacement, and violence; post-disaster recovery often leaves women with reduced ability to rebuild livelihoods, further entrenching inequalities.