The majority of the world's poorest people today are women and girls. Climate change is making it even more difficult for them to realise their basic rights, and it is exacerbating inequalities since they are more vulnerable to its impacts than men. Moreover, many women are denied access to new information about climate change and participation in important decision-making processes despite having unique skills and knowledge - about low risk farming, sustainable water management, family health and community mobilisation, for example - vital to effective adaptation. For all these reasons, and because women are central to the food and livelihood security of their families, we place a special emphasis on gender equality and women's empowerment.

Many women are already powerful change agents in both adaptating to and mitigating climate change, and many more are willing to take on leadership roles if empowered to do so. Their leadership is critical in addressing all aspects of climate change.

CARE and its partners work closely with women to find solutions tailored to their situations. For example, in Tajikistan, we have worked with women to secure their livelihoods through training in new cropping and food preservation techniques; in Bangladesh, we have provided resources for alternative income generation projects; in Uganda, we have transferred new energy-efficient technologies, in Guatemala, we have used carbon markets to improve land use and livelihoods; and in Vietnam, we have supported climate-induced disaster risk reduction initiatives related to mangroves.