Gender and Environmental Connections in Tonga
Articles/Websites
Grades9, 10, 11, 12, APScience, Civics
This resource has been reviewed by SubjectToClimate's climate scientists and verified for scientific accuracy and up-to-date information. Learn about our review process →
Provided by United Nations
What it is
- This article and linked video explores how climate change has impacted Tonga, the discrimination that Tongan women face, and the effort to administer a countrywide survey that studies the correlation between gender and environmental issues.
- Students will learn that all Tongans are dealing with acid rain, cyclones, and sea level rise, but that women in this country are additionally hampered with unequal access to resources and economic and social oppression.
Teaching tips
Positives
- The video is well-produced and displays the people of Tonga during the survey process.
- The article highlights the need for more feedback from women all over the world and more support for gender equity globally.
Additional Prerequisites
- Students should understand how the burning of fossil fuels leads to acid rain and sea level rise.
- Students should understand why marginalized groups are especially vulnerable to the challenges of climate change.
Differentiation
- This resource could accompany a discussion on the Tongan government's effectiveness at dealing with climate change and/or gender discrimination.
- This resource could enhance a discussion on how climate change will disproportionately impact island countries with developing economies.
- This resource could supplement a lesson on how natural disasters and climate change impact some groups more than others.
- This resource could support a lesson on what aspects of human activity lead to acid rain and rising sea levels or about how equal rights and equal access to healthcare and education is both a social and environmental cause.
From the scientist review
This video resource from UN Women presents a survey conducted in late 2022 with male and female respondents from each of 2,541 households across Tonga. The video shows researchers discussing their process and the difficulties they faced, as well as residents speaking about their experiences with natural disasters and their anxieties in a changing climate. Throughout, the video highlights that this study was important because it captured how women and men are affected by and experience climate change differently. This video is packed with views of Tonga’s coast and most remote islands, as well as diverse voices discussing their concerns. This resource is recommended for teaching.
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