This policy brief, developed by The Asia Foundation in coordination with the Climate and Care Initiative, was carried out with the aid of a grant from Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Ottawa, Canada. It builds on a growing body of research that explores the connections between climate change, environmental degradation, care work, and the resulting gender and social inequalities.

Both caring for people and caring for the planet are fundamental to human survival, yet both are systematically exploited for short-term economic gains. The consequences of this exploitation include worsening climate impacts and deepening social disparities, particularly affecting women and marginalized communities.

The climate crisis and the crisis of care are deeply interconnected, as climate change increases the demand for care work while also weakening already fragile care infrastructures. Despite this, global climate adaptation and mitigation efforts have largely overlooked the critical role of care in fostering community resilience and ecosystem sustainability. Moreover, many climate solutions unintentionally reinforce inequalities in care labor, disproportionately affecting women, girls, and marginalized populations in low- and middle-income countries. Addressing these challenges requires a holistic and intersectional approach, recognizing that policies tackling climate change must also consider the redistribution of care labor and the restructuring of economic and social systems to support quality care. Integrating care work into climate policy is essential to ensuring a just and sustainable future for all.