Climate Change as a Conflict Multiplier: A Roundtable Discussion

Co-Authors: Jasmine Hernandez & Olivia Brydon

The Student Consortium on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) hosted a roundtable discussion on January 30th, 2025, on the critical intersection of climate change and gender, with a particular focus on its impact on women. The discussion explored how environmental degradation exacerbates gender inequalities, the role of corporations in sustainability efforts, and how climate change fits into the broader WPS agenda.

Presentation Summary

Dr. Renata Avelar Giannini provided a brief presentation on the disproportionate impact of climate change on women, particularly those in marginalized communities. She explained that social norms and power structures shape women’s experiences, because they are often responsible for caregiving, food production, and resource collection. In indigenous communities, women play key roles in fishing and medicinal plant cultivation, making them especially vulnerable to environmental disruptions. Economic disadvantages further exacerbate these challenges, limiting their ability to recover from climate shocks.

Dr. Giannini emphasized that violence against women in climate-affected areas is multidimensional, including food and health insecurity, cultural violence, and land conflicts. In 2022, 1,046 conflicts over land and water were recorded in the Amazon, highlighting climate-related security threats. Despite these challenges, women are leading climate action, such as Claudelice Santos and the Baassue Coconut Breakers. This presentation set the stage for the roundtable discussion, providing key points for further discussion.

Key Points and Takeaways Discussed

The broader roundtable discussion began with the guiding question “How does climate change exacerbate existing conflicts?”. Participants highlighted how climate change acts as a “conflict multiplier,” worsening pre-existing tensions and disproportionately affecting women. As climate crises lead to resource scarcity, people are forced to travel further in search of necessities, heightening the risk of territorial disputes. This dynamic is especially destabilizing in regions already facing ethnic or political tensions, potentially triggering broader conflict and regional instability. 

The conversation tied back to Dr. Giannini’s emphasis on social norms and power structures, with participants noting that women in the Amazon, often responsible for resource collection, bear the brunt of this growing instability. This not only exacerbates gender-based vulnerabilities but also deepens the impact of conflict in these regions. 

Another critical point raised was the role of transnational corporations in environmental degradation and their responsibility in addressing the climate crisis. A key question that emerged was how these corporations can genuinely become partners in sustainability. Dr. Giannini highlighted the practices of indigenous populations in the Amazon, who have long sustained the land through deep knowledge of local ecosystems. She suggested that these communities offer valuable insights for corporations aiming to shift towards more sustainable practices, and that genuine partnerships with these groups could help preserve the environment and support local economies at the same time. Despite the potential for such collaboration, participants expressed doubt that corporations would embrace this approach due to their primary focus on profit maximization. 

The conversation also explored the broader issue of overconsumption and the role of capitalism in driving environmental harm. Key insights were shared regarding how trauma and societal pressures, such as those targeting women through beauty standards, drive overconsumption. Corporations, by capitalizing on this, exacerbate environmental degradation. It was noted that many consumers have the desire to shift to more sustainable consumption, but find themselves overwhelmed by the task of seeking out sustainable alternatives. This disconnection from sustainable practices ties into a deeper issue: disconnection from the land can lead to trauma, as the land is inherently nurturing. Not connecting with nature and the climate can genuinely affect one’s well-being; without this connection, it becomes difficult to recognize how much the land provides. This loss of connection not only impacts individual behaviors but also perpetuates unsustainable community consumption patterns. To address this, the WPS agenda was highlighted as a means to increase the accessibility of sustainable products, empowering consumers to make more informed and environmentally conscious choices.

Finally, the conversation explored the intersection between the climate movement and the WPS agenda. As the climate movement shifts from a purely scientific focus to addressing social and political impacts, there is increasing potential to align it with the WPS agenda. Participants emphasized the importance of this intersection for addressing the unique vulnerabilities women face in the climate crisis. However, it was also acknowledged that the new Trump administration poses risks to this critical work. This underscores the urgent need to continue pushing for gender-responsive climate action, especially when progress is at risk.

Further Reading

UN Women – How Gender Inequality and Climate Change are Interconnected

Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security – What Does Climate Change Have to Do With Women, Peace, and Security? A Lot

UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs – Weathering Two Storms: Gender and Climate in Peace and Security

Indigenous Climate Hub – The Role of Indigenous Women in Climate Resilience and Adaptation