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

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 other social impacts of climate change. In this narrative review, we describe how climate change can shape the incidence of GBV through its effects on human physiology and psychological well-being, economic and natural resources, migration patterns, and access to critical infrastructure and services. Empirical and theoretical gaps in this body of literature are significant and stem from an over-reliance on traditional measures of domestic violence and household surveys from a non-representative set of contexts. We argue that researchers should develop new, multi-method approaches for studying GBV and its relationship to climate variability, which can allow for a more expansive understanding of climate effects on violence.