New report on caring in a changing climate

Dr Sherilyn MacGregor, Reader in Environmental Politics at the University, is the lead author of a major report commissioned by Oxfam America that investigates the impacts of climate breakdown and climate mitigation and adaptations on care work.

Care work, also known as “caregiving,” “domestic labour,” and “social reproduction” refers to the work of daily and generational renewal of life that is essential to sustaining societies. It is performed disproportionately by women and girls and its devaluation is a lead cause of gender inequality in most societies.

The report sheds light on the nexus of climate change and care work, with a focus on agrarian livelihoods in low-income countries. It calls for greater action to limit greenhouse gas emissions, and a greater focus on the nexus of climate and care work within policy and research. The report points to the need for climate initiatives to pursue gender-transformative approaches via the adoption of care-sensitive interventions.

Caring in a Changing Climate: Centering Care Work in Climate Action was officially launched at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, 66th Session in March 2022. The report was presented at a high profile event, co-hosted by the Governments of Canada and the Philippines, the Women’s Environment and Development Organisation (WEDO) and Oxfam, where key findings were discussed by development policymakers. A second event was hosted by Oxfam for civil society organisations with the purpose of relating the findings and recommendations to practice on the ground in sub-Saharan African and South Asian contexts.