Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Delhi along with The French Embassy and Public Health Foundation of India organized a collaborative workshop on Climate Changes and Women Health

On the occasion of the International Women’s health Day, and in the lead-up to the Paris Climate Change Conference (COP21), the French Embassy in India organized a workshop entitled “Tackling climate change for healthier women”, in partnership with Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Delhi and Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI). The event was held in the presence of H.E. Mr Francois Richier, Ambassador of France to India at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Delhi.

The key points of discussion were:

• Globally, natural disasters such as droughts, floods and storms kill more women than men, and tend to kill women at a younger age than men
• Women face increased risk of mental health issues due to cumulative stress associated with climate change
• With increased temperatures, extreme weather events, such as floods, hail, ice storms, and tornadoes, are also likely to increase; women generally endure more mental stress than men as the primary caregivers during and after extreme events

Climate change not only has an impact on the ecosystem and the biodiversity but also on the habitus and ways in which daily-life is organized both in rural and urban areas. Women appear are one of the first stakeholders of climate change.

The discussion was moderated by Bina Agarwal, Professor, Institute of Economic Growth, Delhi, and University of Manchester, UK. The panellists included: Dr Sutapa Agrawal, Epidemiologist, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI); Dr Lalita Badhwar, Senior Consultant, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Apollo Hospitals; Dr Bharati Chaturvedi, Executive director, Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group; Dr Vandana Shiva, Author & Founder, Navdanya.