Intersectional Approaches to Climate Justice: Examining Gendered Environmental Labor through the Lens of Equity and Sustainability

Abstract

Climate crisis is both an environmental challenge and a social one, deeply rooted in systems of inequality and oppression. Addressing this crisis requires a holistic approach that recognises the intersectional nature of vulnerability and resilience. By centring the experiences of those who perform gendered environmental labour—often the most affected yet least heard, we can develop more equitable and sustainable solutions that truly leave no one behind. This research examines how intersecting social inequalities exacerbate climate vulnerabilities for women in the Global South, focusing on the undervaluation of their environmental labor. The research addresses the critical questions of how gender, race, and class shape women’s disproportionate climate burdens and how intersectional approaches transform climate governance. Using feminist political ecology and case studies from agrarian and Indigenous communities, the study critiques technocratic climate solutions that neglect structural inequities. It reveals how women’s roles as caregivers, smallholder farmers, and resource managers intensified by droughts and deforestation remain systematically invisible, perpetuating cycles of exploitation. The paper aims to center gendered labor in climate justice advocacy by proposing three objectives, which are analyzing policy gaps in recognizing women’s ecological work, demonstrating the efficacy of women-led conservation initiatives, and advocating for participatory policymaking that addresses intersecting oppressions. Findings underscore the need to dismantle extractive systems and redistribute power through reparative finance, land rights reforms, and inclusive governance. Equitable sustainability requires embedding intersectionality in climate action from local adaptations to international treaties to align environmental goals with social justice.