There is little knowledge on where gender and climate change intersect. One of the major challenges of governments, local and international organizations in addressing inequality between genders over the course of time has been the continued isolation of this phenomenon from other similar efforts and lack of experience. This is cemented by a 2006 UN survey of environmental ministries, in which governments cited lack of understanding of the gender and environment topic, and specifically on the relationship between gender and climate change, as a reason for not incorporating gender into their work.
It is based on this understanding that there is a need to develop a common understanding of the linkages between gender and climate change, using a language that policymakers and climate scientists can understand among development and environmental institutions, and in the climate change arena in general. This would benefit the climate change arena in the coordination of collaborative efforts across sectors and institutions, and also in the increment of capacity and political commitment amongst governments, policymakers, the UN system, civil society, and the women’s movement.