Officials say women in developing countries are taking the brunt of the hardships created by climate change.
Speaking at the Aspen Environment Forum in Colorado, government officials from Africa, the Middle East and South America described a variety of problems, reports the Aspen Daily News.
In Nicaragua, droughts have forced women, who traditionally gather water and firewood accompanied by their daughters, to travel farther from home, keeping young women from school.
Mozambique’s coastline is eroding and turning to desert, sending women farther to find fresh water, sometimes in competition with wild animals such as elephants.
Advocates hope renewable energy projects and education will both help improve conditions, the newspaper reports.
–Julia Hengst/Newsdesk.org
Source:
“Third-World women hit by climate change”
Aspen Daily News, March 28, 2009
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