About 80 percent of persons displaced by climate change are women, according to Child Rights Coalition (CRC) Asia.
"Women and children are also among the most vulnerable to climate-induced disasters," CRC Asia said, noting that in Asia Pacific, women in coastal and rural communities face heightened risks due to rising sea levels, extreme weather, and food insecurity.
"Climate justice must prioritize protection, mitigation, and adaptation efforts that leave no one behind — especially children," CRC Asia regional executive director Amihan Abueva said.
UNICEF also pointed out that gender-based violence exacerbates in the wake of climate crises, as girls are increasingly being traded off into child marriages in return for food amid climate-induced starvation across the world.
Further, the United Nations (UN) stressed that when extreme weather disasters strike, women and children "are 14 times more likely to die than men," mostly due to limited access to information, limited mobility, decision-making, and resources.
"Climate change, then, is not just an environmental phenomenon, it is a social injustice crisis that aggravates already existing injustices in communities," UNICEF noted.
"It is for this reason that any discussion on climate action is tokenistic in nature and futile in structure, unless it addresses the plight of women in climate crisis," the UN agency added.
With that, Abueva called on governments, civil society, the private sector, and communities "to work together in tackling these urgent challenges."
"Women and girls must not only be seen as beneficiaries but as active participants and leaders in shaping solutions," Abueva stressed.
"It is time to accelerate action for gender equality and the full realization of women's and girls' rights. Our collective future depends on it."