In crises, who cares?

The document argues that climate contingency planning is "care-blind," ignoring the disproportionate burden on caregivers—primarily women and girls—during disasters. It highlights that by 2050, 200 million people annually may need aid due to climate disasters, and notes that G20 countries face an average annual loss of USD 218 billion from hazard exposure. The authors urge G20 leaders to include caregivers in decision-making to address vulnerabilities linked to cultural norms, financial limitations, and increasing disease outbreaks.

• Climate-related disasters are projected to require humanitarian aid for more than 200 million people every year by 2050.
• In 2023, weather-related hazards such as droughts, fires, floods, and storms caused the displacement of over 26 million people.
• Caregivers, who are frequently women and girls, face heightened vulnerability due to an intersection of climate risk and gender inequality in care responsibilities. Their challenges include restricted mobility due to cultural norms, a lack of survival skill information, and limited financial resources that hinder recovery.
• Climate change is increasing the frequency of epidemics and disease outbreaks, which adds to the burden on caregivers. This was evidenced during the COVID-19 pandemic, where women in formal and informal roles risked their health and sacrificed paid employment to care for the sick, elderly, children, and people with disabilities.
• G20 countries experience an estimated average annual loss of USD 218 billion due to high hazard exposure, which impacts development gains. The authors argue that G20 policies will continue to exclude caregivers and those they care for unless leadership acknowledges their role in resilience and includes them in decision-making processes.

APA

Del Duca, L., & Banfi, E. (2024). In crises, who cares? Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/perspectives/in-crises-who-cares/

Chicago

Del Duca, Laura, and Eleonora Banfi. In crises, who cares? Stockholm Environment Institute, 2024. https://www.sei.org/perspectives/in-crises-who-cares/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Del Duca |first1=Laura |last2=Banfi |first2=Eleonora |title=In crises, who cares? |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=15 November 2024 |url=https://www.sei.org/perspectives/in-crises-who-cares/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{delduca2024crises, author = {Del Duca, Laura and Banfi, Eleonora}, title = {{In crises, who cares?}}, publisher = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2024}, month = nov, url = {https://www.sei.org/perspectives/in-crises-who-cares/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }