Gender and Climate Justice by COPGendered

A common feature of extractivism is the massive ecological costs, negative health impacts and the displacement of people. People who live near big extractive industries are bearing these costs, being confronted with water scarcity, unsafe water and air pollution, and women – due to their socially assigned role as caregivers – also with increased care duties. For example, a rare mineral such as lithium comes from a few countries, including the “lithium triangle” in the highlands of Bolivia, Chile and Argentina, in which it uses an immense amount of water in already very dry areas, leading to local communities losing their livelihoods and traditional ways of living.

Extractivism has direct implications on health, especially on women´s and girls´ reproductive health, while rising poverty and food insecurity impact maternal and neonatal health. Effects such as the loss of income and resources, displacement and humanitarian crisis may result in increased rates of gender-based violence, including sex trafficking and harmful practices such as early marriage and forced unions. The effects of extractivism are long-lasting. The multiple threats posed by mining also weaken the ability of marginalised groups of people to adjust to climate change and other environmental pressures.

Mining is a male-dominated sector, with women playing a minor role as employees, often informally at the margins of mining sites, with a lack of safety measures and in low-paid activities. The concentration of a male workforce in mining and in the (linked) transport sector goes hand in hand with increased sexual exploitation of women and girls, health risks (like HIV) and gender-based violence.