Climate and Bodies: When the Climate Crisis Threatens Sexual and Reproductive Health

Climate change does not only affect the environment – it also affects people, and not all in the same way. In many contexts, women and girls are among those most vulnerable to its impacts. The climate crisis deepens existing inequalities and makes life more difficult for those with fewer resources, less power, and limited protection. When water becomes scarce, maintaining adequate menstrual hygiene can be a serious challenge. When women are displaced by droughts or floods, the risk of sexual violence rises. Climate change also has significant effects on sexual and reproductive health, yet this connection remains insufficiently recognised. This is an issue that affects millions of women and girls worldwide, and it demands far greater attention within climate policies and action.

The climate crisis is not neutral. It affects people differently depending on where they are born, how much they own, what role they occupy in society, their gender, and many other factors. Often, those who pay the highest price are women, girls, and children, who experience the consequences of climate change alongside pre-existing gender and generational inequalities. Today, talking about the climate crisis also means talking about social justice and gender equality: about how to redistribute resources, bridge inequalities, and protect the rights of those most exposed to its effects.

This is the focus of our latest study, “On Our Lands, On Our Bodies,” which was launched at the 30th Climate Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil, and was conducted in collaboration with the ARCO research centre. The study analyses how climate change impacts women’s sexual and reproductive health, particularly in Indigenous and rural communities. It draws on experiences from Brazil, Kenya, and Tanzania, where environmental transformations are deeply reshaping daily life. The work is inspired by ecofeminist principles and adopts a decolonial perspective: it centres the knowledge, experiences, and leadership of local communities, recognising both their vulnerabilities and their capacity to respond and find solutions. Through this approach, we aim to contribute to building fairer and more appropriate responses to the intertwined crises of climate change and gender inequality.

"I started to feel my body temperature rising significantly (many hot spells), impatience, and chills. I had palpitations and many headaches. The heat made my body even more agitated." - interview from On Our Lands, On Our Bodies - Brazil

This year, COP30 is focusing its attention on Indigenous communities.This is an important opportunity to shift perspectives and bring the voices of the territories and people most affected by the climate crisis to the forefront. To do so, however, we need a feminist and decolonial approach to climate justice. This means recognising the power structures that generate inequalities and valuing local knowledge, adaptation practices, and forms of collective resistance. Such an approach allows us to intertwine the ecological transition with the redistribution of power, resources, and time. It is not enough to simply “include” women or local communities in decision-making processes: we must change the priorities and the models on which those processes are based. Rethinking the ecological transition means centring care, social justice, gender equality, sovereignty, and territorial knowledge. Only in this way can the fight against climate change be truly fair and sustainable.

"When there are severe droughts, everything is affected, especially women's lives. When this happens, we go looking for basic food parcels; women would never let their families go hungry. Drought also increases female unemployment, because people have less money to pay for services like housework." - Interview from On Our Lands, On Our Bodies – Brazil

With this research, we wanted to understand what happens when the climate crisis directly impacts daily life: when resources dwindle, when people are forced to move, when health services become difficult to access. These situations have a profound impact, especially on women and girls, who often face new barriers in protecting their health and rights.

The study explores how people perceive climate change as well as the tangible effects it has on their bodies, their families, and their communities. Our goal is to better understand how to protect the health and rights of those who live with the consequences of the climate crisis every day, and to ensure that sexual and reproductive health is an integral part of climate adaptation strategies.

"What I perceive is that women are very tired, more exhausted. There are very high levels of mental illness among indigenous women. Many take prescription drugs, have difficulty sleeping, and are overwhelmed by work. There is a significant overload of domestic work, and mental illness is becoming a ticking time bomb in these territories. There is no longer room for women's social life. Yet, these same women are seeking solutions... at the cost of physical and mental overload." — Interview from On Our Lands, On Our Bodies - Brazil

To build this research, we worked together with the ARCO Research Centre and the national WeWorld teams in Brazil, Kenya, and Tanzania.We combined various tools: personal interviews, group discussions, conversations with experts, and questionnaires. But most importantly, we directly involved the communities at every stage of the process: from defining the questions to interpreting the results. In this way, the research does not speak about people, but with people.

This participatory approach allowed us to gather data that is both concrete and situated, truly reflecting the realities of the territories. We want these insights to lead to practical and sustainable solutions, co-created with those who are on the front lines of climate, social, and gender injustices.

We chose three different countries:

Different contexts, but with common challenges: depleting resources, fragile infrastructure, fracturing social networks, and a growing burden on women.

Key findings from the research across the three countries:

Our research in Brazil, Kenya, and Tanzania highlights common challenges: climate change amplifies inequalities, increases women's workload, makes access to health services more difficult, and can increase the risk of gender-based violence. However, each context has specific characteristics linked to geography, culture, and local social dynamics. Following the study, we held consultations with key informants in all three countries, during which communities shared priorities and concrete proposals based on their knowledge of the local area. The resulting recommendations serve as a starting point for the development of practical and sustainable actions capable of strengthening women's resilience and protecting their rights, both now and in the future.

Let's take a closer look at what emerged in each country.

In Brazil, Indigenous communities of the Ceará, a semi-arid state in the Northeast of the country, live in complex contexts where climate change, extractive pressures, patriarchal norms, and poverty intersect. These factors directly affect women’s sexual and reproductive health, limiting their autonomy and increasing the risk of gender-based violence. Environmental degradation threatens livelihoods and food systems, yet Indigenous women play a key role in community resilience by building support networks and actively participating in political mobilisation.

In Brazil, we conducted our study precisely with Indigenous communities in the state of Ceará. The research explored how climate change influences power relations within families, particularly around issues such as sexual negotiation, family planning, early marriage, gender-based violence, and access to care and information. To do so, we used a qualitative and participatory approach, gathering information through biographical interviews, focus group discussions, and meetings with key informants.

Our research revealed that:

“My childhood and adolescence were non-existent; I spent them caring for my younger siblings. I was the eldest of ten, and my community was filled with suffering and without opportunities. The water situation was terrible: we had to walk for hours with clothes on our heads to wash, and we returned with sore necks. There was no running water, only brackish wells that turned our skin gray; we used cooking oil to hydrate.” - Interview from On Our Lands, On Our Bodies – Brazil

In Kenya, the climate crisis amplifies existing inequalities and profoundly impacts women's sexual and reproductive health. Drought, floods, and extreme heat waves make access to water and food more difficult, increasing the burden of domestic and care work, often unpaid. Despite these challenges, women demonstrate remarkable resilience and autonomy: they take care of their reproductive health, engage in small-scale economic exchanges, and strengthen the social networks that support their communities.

Our research focused on three counties in Kenya:

In these three counties, our study focused on how the effects of climate change impact reproductive and maternal health, especially through poverty and problems related to damaged infrastructure. To understand this, we adopted a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative methods. We administered structured questionnaires, organised focus groups, and conducted interviews with key informants.

Key findings from the research include:

"I have observed several critical areas where climate change is impacting women's reproductive well-being. One thing I see clearly is that women now perform much more labor, even during pregnancy. The situation is exacerbated by the patriarchal land ownership structure: men decide how the land is used, even for small vegetable gardens. Many women are forced to work in other people's fields just to earn a living." - Interview from On Our Lands, On Our Bodies – Kenya

In Pemba, an island about 56 km off the coast of mainland Tanzania and part of the Zanzibar archipelago, women clearly perceive the impact of climate change on their lives and their sexual and reproductive health. To cope with food insecurity, many rely on family support, grow home gardens or seaweed, or engage in small-scale commercial activities. However, economic stress and conflicts over resource management can increase the risk of gender-based violence, forced marriages, and tensions within families.

We conducted our research in the areas of Konde, Micheweni, and Majenzi to investigate how climate change affects maternal health, particularly through its impact on socioeconomic conditions. To do so, we used a mixed approach combining qualitative and quantitative tools. Specifically, we carried out key informant interviews, biographical interviews, and administered a structured questionnaire.

The research found that:

"In some cases, men misinterpret women's absence while fetching water as a sign of infidelity or laziness, causing conflict, mistrust, and even violence." - Interview from On Our Lands, On Our Bodies - Tanzania

"Economic hardship and stress caused by climate risks make women and girls more vulnerable to gender-based violence, including forced marriage, sexual violence, and domestic violence. For example, discussions about how the father, as the breadwinner, can provide for the family often escalate into violence due to the worsening economic situation." - Interview from On Our Lands, On Our Bodies – Tanzania

At WeWorld, we are committed to feminist, ecological, and decolonial climate justice. Addressing the climate crisis means recognising its effects on the health, rights, and opportunities of women and girls, especially in low-income countries, where environmental impacts are intertwined with existing inequalities and vulnerabilities.

Our work is grounded in both research and concrete action. Through our Flowing Futures Atlas and other studies, we analyse the connection between climate change, access to water, and sexual and reproductive health. Our latest study, "On Our Lands, On Our Bodies," delves into the effects of the climate crisis on rural and indigenous communities in Brazil, Kenya, and Tanzania. We have also conducted research on the agri-food chain to understand how climate impacts local agriculture and livelihoods, with a particular focus on women.

However, research alone is not enough: we work directly with communities to build resilience and reduce climate risks. We support Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) initiatives, promoting local early warning systems and emergency plans; we develop agroecological practices and sustainable natural resource management; and we support women-led water committees to ensure equitable and sustainable access. We also organise environmental education programmes that provide practical knowledge for adapting to climate change.

At the institutional level, we carry out advocacy initiatives to influence climate and social policies, such as our work on due diligence within the European Union, to promote social responsibility and protect rights across supply chains. At the same time, we support youth climate activism, fostering the participation and leadership of new generations in building sustainable solutions.

By centring the voices, experiences, and leadership of local communities, we work towards climate action rooted in gender justice, an approach that integrates environmental resilience, resource access, and women’s rights, both now and in the future.

Territories and the people who inhabit them must play a central role in climate decision-making. COP30 represents a concrete opportunity to listen to and amplify these voices and translate them into effective policies. To achieve this, we need clear commitments, adequate resources, and tools that guarantee equity and the protection of the rights of all people, but especially those on the margins, such as women and girls.

At WeWorld, we will continue working in the areas most affected by the climate crisis, with projects focused on adaptation, mitigation, resource management, agroecology, and climate risk reduction, and always placing sexual and reproductive health at the centre. These are not isolated emergencies: we are confronting structural issues that require lasting solutions.

In a world where climate crises, inequalities, and rights violations are deeply intertwined, our true goal is not just to respond to isolated emergencies, but to guarantee current and future generations, and especially those on the margins, the right to a safe and dignified future. Climate, gender, and social justice cannot be separated: only by recognising the interconnection between environment, rights, and equity can we envision a future where all people live with freedom, security, and real opportunities.