"We're concerned about what these effects might mean for contraceptive users exposed to ambient heat for many hours at a time, day after day, with little ability to adapt or recover … which is an unfortunate reality for many women living and working in [LMICs]," researcher Cara Schulte told CG.
The questions have popped up on social media in recent years: "Can birth control make you overheat easily?"
This week, nearly three dozen health and climate researchers and advocates put their names to new commentary in The Lancet calling for more investigation into whether the use of hormonal contraceptives could exacerbate heat sensitivity and stress. It could be a topic of increasing interest for birth control users around the world as global temperatures rise and exposure to extreme heat expands.
"There is still so much we don't know," co-author Cara Schulte told CG.
The research Schulte and her colleagues are calling for has the potential to fill critical evidence gaps, help health systems develop guidance for hormonal contraceptive users, and improve user experiences overall.
What if it could also help scientists improve the contraceptives themselves and other hormonal medications so that users could better withstand the strain of rising temperatures? Read more...
Mexico is continuing to advance national efforts to integrate gender equality and women's rights into climate policy.
As part of the country's second Climate and Nature Action Week, held in early October, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources — or SEMARNAT — and international partners convened community leaders and representatives from government and civil society for the event "Women, Climate, and Territories: Dialogues for a Just Transition in Mexico."
The meeting provided a platform to share community experiences, discuss gendered climate impacts, and identify priorities for more inclusive and equitable climate action.
Mexico Business News reported that participants prioritized preventing gender-based inequalities and violence exacerbated by climate change, strengthening women's representation in climate governance, and improving their access to resources and opportunities associated with the just energy transition.
These aims are set to inform implementation of the country's Strategic Plan on Gender, Human Rights, and Climate Change, presented in May, which supports the integration of gender and human rights into the country's Nationally Determined Contribution 3.0.
The convening builds on broader efforts to incorporate gender and intersectionality into Mexico's first National Climate Change Adaptation Policy — ADAPTAMX — which is planned for presentation at the 31st Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change — also known as COP31 — in November.
ADAPTAMX is intended to serve as an overarching framework for coordinating medium- and long-term responses to climate risks. Previous activities for developing the policy included a roundtable in August that involved participation from women, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, migrants, and Indigenous people.
Sudan's humanitarian crisis is worsening as ongoing conflict, climate shocks, and funding shortages disrupt agriculture and increase food insecurity.
More than 12.4 million people have been displaced since fighting in the country began in 2023. This week, DW reported that current clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces have also "forced thousands of civilians to flee amid the planting season."
Jan Sabastian Friedrich-Rust of Action Against Hunger told the news outlet that 24.6 million people face high levels of acute food insecurity amid the chaos. Friedrich-Rust also noted that an estimated 825,000 children under five will experience severe acute malnutrition in 2026, while 4.2 million children and pregnant or breastfeeding people are estimated to be acutely malnourished.
Extreme heat, drought, and flooding are playing a part in agricultural impacts, while fertilizer and fuel shortages — exacerbated by the U.S. and Israel's war in Iran — are also driving up food and transportation costs.
This week, the U.N. urged the U.S. and Iran to advance an agency-backed plan to get fertilizer moving through the Strait of Hormuz again and address the potential for a growing food crisis across Asia and Africa.
JoyNews in Ghana reported last week that women farmers in the northern part of the country are coming together to use climate-smart techniques to adapt to erratic rainfall and declining soil health on a shared plot of land.
In Kulinkpegu village, they are aiming to heal the drought-parched soil by improving water retention with biochar. The women are reportedly using agricultural waste to make the substance, described by the International Biochar Initiative as "a fine-grained, porous, charcoal-like substance produced by heating organic plant material."
They are also using the biochar as fuel briquettes to address local fuel shortages.
By cultivating a shared plot together, the women are pooling their knowledge and resources to build climate resilience in a region where access to productive land remains a challenge for many women.
India's Maharashtra state has prepared to begin issuing Women Farmers Certificates this month under its new Women Farmers Empowerment Act, passed in July. The law formally recognizes women engaged in agriculture regardless of whether they own the land they tend.
Developed through consultations with women farmers, the state-level law broadens the definition of "farmer" to recognize work performed rather than tying the title strictly to the ownership of property. It aims to improve women's access to government programs and funds, agricultural insurance, training, and other resources.
Nationally, women make up nearly 60% of the agricultural workforce but hold less than 15% of land titles, according to commentary published at Mongabay by global health expert Soumya Swaminathan. In Maharashtra state, 82% of the rural female workforce is engaged in agriculture, yet women hold only 15.5% of operational farmland.
Supporting gender equity among farmers is set to become increasingly important as climate change threatens agricultural livelihoods and food security. Women often have fewer resources to cope with climate shocks, yet their knowledge and experience make them essential contributors.
Maharashtra's new law could expand agricultural advisory services and training in climate-resilient farming practices, potentially strengthening women's livelihoods and food security overall. But many feel this formal recognition at the state level is just the beginning of what is needed across the country and around the world, where many women lack formal rights to the land and water they work with and rely on.
For the certificates to make a difference, government agencies and financial institutions must accept them and use them to expand women's access to credit, insurance, support programs, and market opportunities. Meanwhile, Down to Earth's coverage of the new law in September posed the question: "Will [women] ever own the land?"
More than a dozen youth leaders completed a three-day EcoMen training in Dhaka, Bangladesh, earlier this month to advance gender equality and inclusion in environmental stewardship and climate action.
Organized by YouthNet Global and Bonhishikha with partners, the Oct. 5-7 training explored how gender norms and unequal power shape environmental harm and climate vulnerability as well as how men and boys can challenge harmful standards and share care responsibilities.
"The patriarchal norms that perpetuate social inequality are the same ones driving environmental exploitation," said YouthNet Global's Sohanur Rahman, per The Climate Watch.
The EcoMen initiative reflects the goals of the U.N.-coordinated Belém Gender Action Plan, which calls for men and boys to be engaged in efforts to advance gender equality.
Event participants reportedly discussed how investing in health care, child care, and support for older people and people with disabilities can strengthen climate resilience while creating jobs in the care sector.
To date, care remains largely overlooked in many climate adaptation plans and budgets.
Louisiana experts are calling on policymakers to address how air pollution and climate disasters are impacting maternal and newborn health.
Human Rights Watch shared that the topic was highlighted earlier this month at the annual Black Birth Matters conference, held in New Orleans. Advocates and academics there called for policies to protect pregnant people and newborns from health risks posed by pollution from the petrochemical industry, which refines crude oil and natural gas into chemicals like ethylene, propylene, benzene, and plastics.
One 2026 report looking at health risks associated with industrial pollution in Louisiana found that girls living within five miles of a petrochemical plant or petroleum refinery "are at greater risk of experiencing early puberty," according to a news release. Women in these areas "experienced a greater risk of breast cancer and uterine fibroids, while pregnant women experienced higher rates of miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, and preeclampsia."
Another study, published this week in Environmental Health, found a "strong connection" between maternal exposure to industrial air pollution in Louisiana and "severe congenital heart defects in newborns," according to a release. "Efforts to reduce toxic emissions in [the state] could not only lower the risk of birth defects, but also the risk of cancer, asthma, and other diseases caused by these chemicals," said lead author Kimberly Terrell of Tulane University.
According to Human Rights Watch, more than a quarter of the state's parishes are maternity deserts. Meanwhile, Louisiana — also home to a stretch known as "Cancer Alley" — has the second largest petrochemical industry in the U.S. by state and faces intense effects of the climate crisis, including hurricanes and rising sea levels.
The 12th annual 2SLGBTQIA+ conference In My Mind, which centers communities of color, made coping with the climate crisis a focus this year.
The event, which highlighted collective care as a climate solution, took place on Oct. 8 at the LGBT Center in New York City and focused on the rising global temperatures caused by human activity and their impacts on mental health.
Pollution, extreme heat, severe weather, and the nature crisis all have the potential to disproportionately harm marginalized LGBTQ+ people. For example, those who experience discrimination in housing and employment can face economic insecurity and lack of access to proper shelter, posing health and safety risks amid extreme heat and storms.
In its coverage of the conference, Queer News Tonight noted: "Organizers stressed that traditional mental health frameworks often overlook the psychological toll of ecological distress on vulnerable populations."
According to analysis from the Trevor Project, LGBTQ+ youth report high rates of climate anxiety.
Integrating mental health care for this population with environmental justice efforts and collective community resilience projects could help address these concerns. Structurally improving equitable access to safe housing, cooling, heating, food, and employment amid extreme weather could also help to alleviate climate-related anxiety.
A commentary published this month in Nature Climate Change highlights barriers facing LGBTQIA+ climate scientists and calls for a more inclusive research community.
The co-authors, based in Australia, point to a lack of data on the experiences of LGBTQIA+ scientists in the field, alongside historical and ongoing risks of exclusion and harassment.
The co-authors call for better data on LGBTQIA+ representation, career progression, retention, and discrimination in climate science, using repeated surveys and privacy protections to track progress and evaluate interventions. They also urge universities and scientific organizations to strengthen representation, provide allyship training and support services, and foster inclusive professional networks. At the individual level, they encourage colleagues to use inclusive language, recognize bias, and challenge homophobia and other harmful behavior.
Climate change disproportionately affects marginalized communities, including LGBTQIA+ people, making their representation in climate science and decision-making particularly important.
Girls aged 12-17 in the Atlanta, Georgia, suburb of Forest Park got an inside look at firefighting during an event designed to promote fire safety and break down gender barriers in the profession.
As part of the three-day camp, the girls received firefighter training, tried out gear and equipment, and completed classwork.
According to local news outlet FOX 5, less than 8% of firefighters across the U.S. are women. Forest Park Fire Chief Latosha Clemons told the outlet the camp helps combat gender inequality in the field while developing confidence and leadership skills in girls and young women.
Amayah, a student who returned to the camp for the fourth year, told FOX 5, "It made me think, there's other stuff I want to do, but this might be one of the first jobs I would join."
The Forest Park camp is part of a broader campaign to support women in firefighting, with programs for girls popping up across the U.S. and Canada.
Fire prevention and management are increasingly important as climate and environmental factors intensify wildfire risks. Improving the representation of gender minorities in the field could strengthen community trust, optimize care for marginalized groups, and boost problem-solving by adding unique perspectives.
This digest was curated, reported, and formatted by Gracie Leavitt. It was written and edited by Gracie Leavitt and Kirsten Krueger.
One goal at Climate, Gendered is to bring a spotlight to the reality that proliferating pollution, increasing temperatures, rising seas, extreme weather, habitat loss, and more can uniquely and disproportionately impact girls, women, and LGBTQ+ communities — especially individuals from communities of color, Indigenous people, disabled people, immigrants and displaced people, people experiencing poverty, and residents of low- and middle-income countries. We're also interested in the climate and environment crises and concerns that can disproportionately affect boys and men.
But there's a whole lot going on around the world, and this weekly brief isn't intended to be exhaustive but rather your chance to spend just a few moments on a handful of items — including the ideas that might make a difference. We appreciate your feedback and observations.
"In Zimbabwe, contraceptive pills were being sold by staff to buy food during the drought. In drought-affected communities, 54% of girls and young women had seen more unintended pregnancy, against 29% elsewhere," Reena Ghelani, CEO of Plan International, told CG.
"The goal is for the [seed savers] to have good forage for their cattle but also earn income from selling the forage and native seeds," Nai-nancy Laizer of Savannas Forever Tanzania told CG. "So it addresses the effects of climate but also generates income to these communities."
"We know how much these women have trained, sacrificed, and prepared for this moment," Siana Austin Hunt of the O'ahu Hawaiian Canoe Racing Association said in a release regarding the race's cancellation, adding, "but the safety and well-being of our people and communities must come first."
"We are not simply providing aid," Nadine Ortega of the grassroots group Tagnawa Hawai'i told CG about supporting survivors of gender-based violence in the wake of hurricanes and floods. "We are supporting women's agency, autonomy, and ability to rebuild their lives on their own terms."
