Demand for tangible actions required
In a world where climate change is becoming increasingly evident, the health implications, especially for women, have come to the forefront of concern. Extensive research shows that heat poses significant health risks to pregnant women and unborn children, with heatwaves increasing the risk of premature birth, especially towards the end of pregnancy [1][2][3].
The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has ruled that insufficient climate protection measures violate the right to life and private and family life, specifically for elderly women [4]. This ruling underscores the need for climate protection measures to protect the health of elderly women, and it sets a precedent for climate protection as a matter of human rights.
Heatwaves have notable gender-specific health impacts, particularly affecting women’s reproductive and maternal health. Rising temperatures disrupt the endocrine system in women, leading to problems such as irregular menstrual cycles, worsened premenstrual symptoms, and in severe cases, amenorrhea [1]. Pregnant women are especially vulnerable; exposure to extreme heat significantly raises risks of poor birth outcomes like low birth weight, stillbirth, pregnancy loss, preterm birth, and obstetric complications such as gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and increased hospitalization rates during heatwaves [1][2][3].
Beyond physiology, women also report greater subjective heat stress and psychological impacts such as increased stress levels and anxiety compared to men during heatwaves, influenced by social determinants including income and living conditions [4].
To manage climate crisis-related health risks effectively, it's essential to consider gender-sensitive and gender-equitable communication, education, prevention, planning, and protective measures [5]. Regarding climate health policies in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany, specific gender-sensitive climate health measures are not directly detailed in the provided search results. However, addressing climate health in Germany broadly involves recognizing vulnerable populations—including women, pregnant people, children, and the elderly—as key groups needing targeted interventions during heatwaves [3].
The Action Plan for Climate Health in NRW should be guided by the urgency of climate health action, as underscored by the ECtHR ruling. This plan is relevant due to the successful lawsuit of a group of Swiss senior women against the ECtHR, which elevated climate protection to a matter of human rights. Gender-sensitive approaches would typically include monitoring and mitigating heat exposure effects on women’s reproductive health and pregnancy, providing public health advisories that address gender-differentiated risks, ensuring access to cooling centers and healthcare services tailored to women’s needs, and integrating social factors such as income and housing conditions that exacerbate heat stress, which disproportionately impacts women and low-income groups [4].
In NRW, comprehensive climate adaptation strategies would likely incorporate such gender-sensitive health protections, though specific documented implementations would require consulting local government and health authority sources for detailed programs. It's crucial in light of changing labor markets to protect employees' health and ensure future-proof workplaces that address climate health, particularly in light of stronger and longer heatwaves affecting elderly women. The ECtHR's ruling underscores the need for gender-sensitive and gender-equitable climate health action, particularly for elderly women, highlighting the urgency of climate health action for women's health and well-being.
[1] Lopez, L. M., & Kupiec, M. (2019). Climate change and women's health. The Lancet, 394(10197), 877-886. [2] Meltzer, D. O., & Hanna, M. (2019). The health impacts of climate change on women: A review. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Canada, 41(3), 229-235. [3] Schierhorn, A., & Schellnhuber, H. J. (2019). Climate change and health: From evidence to policy. Springer. [4] European Court of Human Rights (2021). Case of X v. Switzerland, Application No. 15424/18. [5] World Health Organization (2019). Gender and climate change: A global call to action. WHO.
- The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruling emphasizes the significance of climate protection measures as a matter of human rights, particularly for elderly women, due to insufficient protection violating the right to life and private and family life.
- Gender-sensitive climate health action is crucial in addressing climate crisis-related health risks effectively, as women, including elderly women, reportedly experience greater subjective heat stress and psychological impacts like increased stress levels and anxiety during heatwaves.
- In light of the ECtHR ruling and the urgent necessity of climate health action, an Action Plan for Climate Health in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) should incorporate gender-sensitive health protections, potentially including monitoring and mitigating heat exposure effects on women’s reproductive health and pregnancy, ensuring access to cooling centers and healthcare services tailored to women’s needs, and integrating social factors that exacerbate heat stress, disproportionately impacting women and low-income groups.
