Happy Earth Day! We're feeling hopeful today, despite the many hardships facing us all. Why? The world has acted swiftly and with resolve to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, showing that our civilization can act with urgency to tackle a global threat. We must do the same to combat climate change—which will affect everything, including reproductive health. 

Climate change disproportionately affects women, girls and other marginalized communities—especially in the world’s poorest countries. Those who already have little power to make their own reproductive health decisions will find it even harder to access contraception or a safe abortion when caught in floods, droughts, cyclones and other climate disasters. 

Even as we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, the impacts of climate change are accelerating, and so will the debate around what actions we should take. It’s imperative that women’s voices be at the center of the conversation and that we hear the diverse perspectives of social justice advocates across the global South. They are speaking up now, telling us how the response to COVID-19 can be more equitable, and we must listen to them on climate change as well. Reproductive justice for all people will not be possible without climate justice. 

Learn more about how climate change will impact reproductive health—and what we can do about it—in this blog by Ipas President and CEO Anu Kumar and colleague Tanvi Monga.