Understanding the complex linkages between climate change and gender-based violence

Gender-based violence (GBV) is a significant and widespread social problem and concern for human health. The determinants of GBV are complex and include many factors that are sensitive to the impacts of climate change. However, the links between climate and GBV have been understudied relative to many of the other social costs of climate change. In this review, we describe how climate change can shape the incidence of GBV, in isolation and through feedback loops, through its effects on human physiological and psychological well-being, economic security, migration patterns, natural resource scarcity, and infrastructural and service capacity. Empirical and theoretical gaps in this body of literature are significant and stem from an over-reliance on traditional measures of domestic violence. We argue that researchers should develop both quantitative and qualitative approaches for studying GBV and its relationship to climate variability that allow for a more expansive explanation of the phenomenon.