A window into what we are reading at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program

Extreme Heat’s Toll on Pregnancy and Reproductive Health

Preliminary data collected by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) shows that the first week of July 2023 was the hottest week on record. Recent global heatwaves also prompted a public health alert from the WMO concerning rising health risks.

Vulnerable groups such as day laborers and those with underlying health conditions are the first to come to mind as being endangered by this heat, but Human Rights Watch senior researcher Skye Wheeler urges public health officials and media outlets to prioritize efforts to reach pregnant women, who are often overlooked in periods of extreme heat.

Wheeler argues that the adverse effects of extreme heat on both low-income people and pregnant women make efforts to provide crucial information on cooling methods to low-income pregnant individuals essential: “Including pregnant people as an at-risk group and informing them about the dangers of extreme heat are important first steps.”

READ| At the Intersection of Climate Change and Environmental and Reproductive Justice

New Zealand Steps Up Climate Finance for Delta Dwellers

New Zealand is boosting its role in combating food security and mitigating climate change in South and Southeast Asia’s wetland areas to the tune of $18.6 million. This renewed focus comes from that nation’s decision to join the Asian Mega-Deltas Initiative, led by CGIAR, which seeks to developing climate-resilient farming systems in wetland areas like the Mekong, Irrawaddy, and Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna.

The wetland regions covered by the agreement are home to 178 million people, a third of whom live in poverty and are uniquely vulnerable to climate change. The initiative aims to benefit 4.8 million people by helping them adapt to climate change and avoid displacement, while also reducing 17 million tons of CO2 equivalent emissions annually.

Aiding populations at the grassroots, or “farm,” level is a particular focus. The initiative not only offers advice and access to finance, but aims to improve land-use management, soil health, rice production, and biodiversity preservation in these regions.

READ | A Climate Finance Rethink Can Help Those Most Impacted by Climate Change

EmPowering Women Farmers in Cambodia Through Solar Energy

Rice farmers in Cambodia have long relied upon diesel-powered water pumps to water their rice fields—a device that is heavy, expensive to operate, and emits greenhouse gases. But the recent introduction of solar-powered water pumps has saved subsistence farmers both time and money. 

A loan from the UN’s EmPower: Women for Climate-Resilient Societies program helped Cambodian farmer Im Heng purchase a solar-powered pump, reducing her electricity bill by $7 and improving her physical health. Women often have less access to resources than their male counterparts, which can make it difficult to cope with extreme weather and the impacts of climate change.

The EmPower program is a joint initiative between the UN Environment Program and UN Women that provides affordable loans for female entrepreneurs to buy clean technologies, helps them cope with climate-induced disasters, and promotes renewable energy use.

READ | Gender Equality and Food Security in Rural South Asia: A Holistic Approach to the SDGs