Climate change and climate justice: procedural gender analysis in redd+ piloted site, South-South, Nigeria

Abstract

Climate change adaptation plan has been marred with assertion that genders are not treated equally both in designing and implementation which have been eventually the cog in the wheel of progress of many developmental programmes in forest-based communities such as REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation). This assertion has however not been “perceptionally” proven aside from the general vulnerability-gender relationships. This study used both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. Primary data was collected with the aid of questionnaire from 200 respondents (male and female category) randomly selected within six purposive UN-REDD+ piloted villages according to Cochran formula in South-South, Nigeria. Sixteen perceptional statements were developed with Likert scale rating along categorical variables such as participation, decision making, recognition and inclusion, forest resources management as well as village institution composition to assess and explain different factors militating against procedural component of climate justice (participation, decision making and level of engagement) at an individual level. The result of the research showed that the participation and decision making rate of women/female in the REDD+ in South-south Nigeria is weak, mostly only at the level of Tokenism, where over 97% were not aware of such project in the community, but the remaining 3% were privy to the information via their husbands where either their views or opinions have influenced policy. The female participation level about REDD + projects is low. This is due to cultural and socio-political societies that still retain traditional gender roles which only locate and position women/female for domestic affairs thus undermining their position and responsibilities in public places as attested to by Focus Group Discussion(FGD). Besides, discrimination by male leaders and their lack of self-esteem, and low levels of education weaken them from playing a role in their village community even in the implementation of the REDD+ project. This underscores the importance of proactive gender mainstreaming with all encompassing inclusiveness intervention rather than “ male versus female” or “men versus women” in order to address gender bias both in designing and implementation of adaptation action plan such as REDD+. This study has extended the “individual perceptional statements” of climate justice to create the most flexible approach in analysing the level of engagement of disaggregated “gender level” in REDD+ piloted site in South-south, Nigeria.