Climate change is robbing tribal Indian women of their livelihood and financial independence.
That’s according to a recent news report by CNN, part of an ongoing series examining gender inequities the world over. This report focused on disparities among the Brokpa, an ethnic group that resides near the Himalayan Mountain region of Asia. Rising temperatures fueled by climate change have forced Brokpan women — who historically made a living by selling products from the yaks they herded — into more traditional gender roles as herding becomes increasingly difficult.
In Arunachal Pradesh, India’s northwest region, the temperature has risen by almost a full degree within the past 40 years, according to a risk assessment by the area’s Department of Environment, Forests & Climate Change Government. Additional data shows that the region’s annual maximum temperature will rise by as much as 2.03 degrees by 2050.
Experts suspect that these rising temperatures are sparking extreme weather conditions in the Indian Himalayan region – factors that contribute to the decline of paisang leaves, which are a main component of a yak’s diet. The heat waves themselves, which killed many livestock and people in India last year, also caused the local yak population to dwindle.
As a result, these Brokpan women must now rely upon their husbands for money, as many are forced to take on lower-paying domestic work – or to stay at home without any work at all. Many are denied opportunities for simply being women — and even if they are hired, they are paid less than men. Though India passed the Equal Remuneration Act in 1976 to eliminate pay disparities, women in rural communities still grapple with lower pay.
This is true for Tashi Lhamo, a pastoralist who, 20 years ago, was her “own boss” with a routine that “wasn’t confined,” she told CNN. But now, things have drastically changed. “I could sell churpi [yak cheese] if I needed any money,” Lhamo, 53, said. “Now I have to ask my husband for literally everything. It’s like yak calves asking their mothers for milk.”
Like Lhamo, women around the world have been disproportionately harmed by climate change. This includes Pakistani women, who were prone to increased violence and worsening access to healthcare following severe flooding in 2022. It’s a worldwide problem – an analysis released by the Association of American Medical Colleges in June found that catastrophic weather events generally increase women’s likelihood of experiencing injury and death, with pregnancy complications and sexual violence as particular points of concern.
That’s why action to reduce carbon emissions, on the part of global organizations like the International Center for Research on Women, has become especially critical, experts say. As Lhamo noted, regaining economic empowerment would allow her to “choose the freedom of the mountains right away.”
