A/74/161 ecosystems. These elements are informed by commitments made under international environmental treaties, such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, wherein States pledged to “prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system”, or in other words to maintain a safe climate. 44. The failure of States to take adequate steps to address climate change can constitute a violation of the right to a healthy environment, as the Supreme Court of Colombia and other courts have recently recognized. 48 G. Vulnerable populations 45. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change observed that “people who are socially, economically, culturally, politically, institutionally, or otherwise marginalized are especially vulnerable to climate change”. 49 This includes people or communities whose vulnerabilities are caused by poverty, gender, age, disability, geography and cultural or ethnic background. Although at risk, these people often have the potential to contribute to climate solutions when empowered to do so. 46. The worst impacts afflict those who have contributed least to the problem and who have the fewest resources to adapt to, or cope with, the impacts. For example, during droughts, women and children in low -income countries are often disproportionately affected because of their responsibilities for collecting water and firewood. On the other hand, male farmers face elevated risks of suicide during droughts. Understanding gender differences in vulnerability, roles and capacity is essential for designing fair and effective climate actions. 50 47. In 2018, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women recognized that climate change impacts, including disasters, have a disproportionate effect on women. 51 Women experience greater financial and resource constraints, lower levels of access to information, and less decision-making authority in their homes, communities and countries. 52 In its recommendations to States (concluding observations), the Committee has repeatedly urged States to take into account the greater vulnerability of women by adopting a human rights-based approach to all decisions related to adaptation, mitigation, disaster risk reduction and climate finance. 53 The Committee has made specific recommendations regarding older women and rural women, two groups with pa rticular vulnerabilities to climate change. 54 Women are also leaders and vital agents of change, maximizing use of their knowledge and resources to help families to adapt. 55 48. Despite contributing little to the problem, roughly 400 million indigenous peoples around the world are especially vulnerable to climate change because of their close connection to nature and dependence on wildlife, plants and healthy ecosystems for food, medicine and cultural needs. On the other hand, indigenous people can make important contributions to solutions, through traditional knowledge, legal systems and cultures that have proven effective at conserving land, water, biodiversity and ecosystems, including forests. 56 49. An example of climate change impacts on indigenous peoples is reductions in Arctic sea ice that affect wildlife distribution and complicate ice -based travel, undermining the ability of Inuit hunters to secure food. Indigenous peoples on Pacific islands are directly threatened with partial or total disappearance of their lands as a __________________ 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 19-11977 Supreme Court of Colombia, Demanda Generaciones Futuras v. Minambiente, Decision of 5 April 2018, and Lahore High Court, Leghari v. Federation of Pakistan, W.P. No. 25501/201, Decision of 4 April 2015. IPCC, “Summary for policymakers”, Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability (IPCC, 2014). WHO, Gender, climate change and health (WHO, 2014). General recommendation No. 37 on gender-related dimensions of disaster risk reduction in the context of climate change and A/HRC/41/26. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Gender Equality in National Climate Action: Planning for Gender-Responsive Nationally Determined Contributions (UNDP, 2016). Center for International Environmental Law and Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, States’ Human Rights Obligations in the Con text of Climate Change: 2019 Update (Center for International Environmental Law and Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 2019). General recommendation No. 27 on older women and general recommendation No. 34 on the rights of rural women. WHO, Gender, climate change and health (WHO, 2014). Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, “Climate change and indigenous peoples” (Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, 2008). 13/22