Introduction

War in general has different and more severe impacts upon women and girls than it does on men and boys. Climate change likewise has gender-differentiated impacts, and the manner in which they register on people is strongly mediated by cultural, economic, political and religious factors. In general, women and girls experience different and more severe climate change effects than do men and boys. In areas afflicted by both armed conflict and climate change, women and girls are particularly at risk to the compounding negative effects of these forces. In turn, these risks then pose a threat to the success of military missions in these areas, especially those operations that are civilian-centric. My experiences as a military attorney in the US Army have allowed me to sift through a large amount of policy, research and writing, and to identify potential paths forward for militaries to effectively incorporate an understanding of the links between armed conflict, gender and climate change into their activities and operations.