By Ainembabazi Shallon
Op_Ed
Climate change is often discussed in terms of rising temperatures, floods, droughts, food insecurity and extreme weather events. But behind these environmental challenges lies another important question who gets to design the solutions? As the world increasingly turns to technology to respond to the climate crisis one group must not be left behind women.
Empowering women in technology is not simply a matter of achieving gender equality. It is a climate action strategy from renewable energy and climate-smart agriculture to digital early-warning systems, environmental monitoring and sustainable waste management, technology is becoming central to how communities respond to climate change. Yet women and girls continue to face significant barriers to accessing, using and shaping these technologies.
The digital gender gap remains a major obstacle, UN Women reports that women and girls remain underrepresented in the creation use and regulation of technology. Globally, women are less likely than men to have access to the internet, own mobile phones or pursue careers in technology.
Women are among those most affected by climate change. In many communities, particularly rural communities, women are responsible for securing water, food and energy for their families. When droughts intensify, rainfall becomes unpredictable or natural resources disappear, women often have to travel further and spend more time securing these basic necessities. The United Nations recognizes that women and girls are disproportionately affected by climate change while also being important leaders of climate solutions.
Imagine a woman farmer using a mobile phone to receive weather information before planting her crops. Imagine women using digital platforms to access markets without having to travel long distances to sell their products. Imagine young women trained to install and maintain solar systems in their communities, creating green jobs while expanding access to clean energy. Imagine women using digital mapping tools to document environmental destruction, monitor forests and wetlands, report pollution and participate meaningfully in environmental decision-making.These are not distant possibilities. They are examples of how technology can become a tool for climate resilience when women have equal access to it.
However, access alone is not enough. Women must also be empowered to become creators, innovators, researchers, entrepreneurs and decision-makers in the technology sector.
Too often, women are treated as consumers of technology rather than as people who can design the technologies that shape society. Technology designed without women’s perspectives can overlook the realities they face. UN Women has emphasized that when women and girls are excluded from technology and innovation spaces, digital tools can fail to respond adequately to their needs.
If we are developing technologies for climate-smart agriculture, women farmers should be involved in designing them. If we are developing clean cooking solutions, women who spend significant amounts of time cooking and collecting fuel should have a voice in how those technologies are designed. If governments are introducing digital climate information systems rural women should be among those consulted about accessibility and usability.
Across Africa, women have long been custodians of indigenous and community knowledge. They understand local ecosystems, changing seasons, food systems, water sources and traditional methods of adapting to environmental changes. Bringing this knowledge together with modern technology can produce climate solutions that are more inclusive, practical and locally appropriate. Uganda therefore needs to see women’s digital empowerment as part of its climate strategy.
Investment in girls’ education, digital literacy, coding, artificial intelligence, renewable energy technologies, climate data and green innovation should not be considered separate from climate action.
Schools and community programmes should encourage girls to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Universities and technical institutions should create pathways for young women into renewable energy, environmental engineering, data science and other emerging green sectors. Governments and development partners should provide financing, mentorship and incubation opportunities for women-led technology and climate enterprises.
At the community level, women should be supported to use affordable digital tools to access climate information, financial services, markets and government programmes. Digital platforms can also strengthen women’s participation in environmental advocacy by enabling them to document community experiences share information and influence public debates.
But as we promote digital empowerment, we must also make technology safe. Women increasingly face online harassment, abuse and other forms of technology-facilitated violence, which can discourage them from participating in digital spaces. A digital transition that excludes women or exposes them to violence cannot be called inclusive.
The climate crisis requires every available talent, idea and perspective. We cannot afford to have half of the population watching from the sidelines while technologies that will shape our climate future are being designed.
Empowering women in technology means empowering women to become climate innovators, environmental defenders, entrepreneurs and decision-makers. It means moving beyond seeing women only as vulnerable victims of climate change and recognizing them as agents of transformation.
The transition to a greener economy must therefore also be a gender-responsive digital transition. Governments, technology companies, civil society organizations, schools and development partners must invest in women’s access to technology, digital skills, finance, leadership and innovation. Climate justice cannot be achieved without gender justice. And in an increasingly digital world, gender justice cannot be achieved without digital justice.
If we want technology to help solve the climate crisis we must ensure that women are not merely users of the solutions. They must be among the people designing them.
