Tips for talking about health & education as climate solutions

The document outlines a framework for discussing universal education and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) as climate solutions. It emphasizes that these interventions are synergistic and that centering gender equality and bodily autonomy is essential for effective climate mitigation and adaptation. The guide warns against oversimplifying these complexities or using coercive language regarding family size, arguing instead for a rights-based approach that addresses systemic oppression and empowers women and girls as agents of change.

• Women and girls in emerging economy countries are disproportionately affected by climate change and environmental degradation, despite the fact that 10% of the global population generates nearly half of consumption-related emissions.
• Universal high-quality education is a fundamental human right that enables girls to become active agents of change, increasing their capacity to mitigate climate change and adapt to climate shocks.
• Project Drawdown advocates for full bodily autonomy and voluntary access to reproductive healthcare as human rights, explicitly rejecting the advocacy for "small" or "ideal" family sizes to avoid racist, classist, or coercive policies.
• Gender equality in decision-making is linked to stronger environmental outcomes, as women in national legislatures tend to vote for more stringent climate protections and better natural resource management.
• The Health and Education solution models population growth changes by 2050 through two synergistic, rights-based measures: universal access to quality primary and secondary education (12–13 years) and voluntary access to reproductive healthcare.

APA

Maikuri, C. P. (2021). Tips for talking about health & education as climate solutions. Project Drawdown. https://drawdown.org/insights/tips-for-talking-about-health-education-as-climate-solutions

Chicago

Maikuri, Carissa Patrone. Tips for talking about health & education as climate solutions. Project Drawdown, 2021. https://drawdown.org/insights/tips-for-talking-about-health-education-as-climate-solutions.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Maikuri |first1=Carissa Patrone |title=Tips for talking about health & education as climate solutions |publisher=Project Drawdown |date=23 August 2021 |url=https://drawdown.org/insights/tips-for-talking-about-health-education-as-climate-solutions |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{maikuri2021tips, author = {Maikuri, Carissa Patrone}, title = {{Tips for talking about health \& education as climate solutions}}, institution = {Project Drawdown}, year = {2021}, month = aug, url = {https://drawdown.org/insights/tips-for-talking-about-health-education-as-climate-solutions}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }