Climate is defined in many academic books as condition of a place studied in a statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades approximately 35 years to millions of years. Climate change may be limited to a specific region or may occur across the whole Earth.

Therefore general or average weather conditions of a certain region, including temperature, rainfall, and wind after several years for instance three decades make up what is known climate.

On Earth, climate is most affected by latitude, the tilt of the Earth's axis, the movements of the Earth's wind belts, the difference in temperatures of land and sea, and topography. Human activity, especially relating to their actions, relating to the depletion of the ozone layer, and such like is also an important factor.

Kenyan women leaders from various towns drawn from all the 47 counties in Kenya converged in Nairobi hotel for two a two day workshop to discuss the impact on climate change in the lives of women brought by the ever changing weather pattern.

The workshop and initiative is being coordinated by the Kenya Climate Justice Women Champions {KCJWC} and sponsored by CARE-Kenya, Practical Action and Oxfam International.

The women shared their own experiences and those from within their localities to inform and educate each other of what actually is happening to other women, children born , environment, water towers, rain fall among other impacts of climate change so that to forge way forward.

The major issues that came out clearly and drew many discussions included; marginalization of women in climate change discussions both at national and global level, vulnerability of women due to climate change in the country and what the impact change has on food security, pastoralism, poverty and conflicts between communities and families.

Madam Cecilia Kibe is the National Coordinator, Kenya Climate Justice Women Champions {KCJWC} said while the impacts of climate change vary between and within countries, societies, communities and individuals, women are however the most vulnerable.

Kibe said despite existing evidence of the impact of climate change on women, the gender aspects in government policies are still wanting. She said it is high time women realize the impact and mitigate it.

She reiterated that the threat of climate change is manifested in the increase of extreme weather conditions such as droughts, storms or floods that has been recognized as a global priority issue.

“Climate change is a sustainable development challenge, with broad impacts not only on the environment but also on economic and social development,” Kibe said.

The KCJWC National Coordinator said the effects of climate change will vary among regions and between different generations, income groups and occupations as well as between women and men but something need to be done to avert it. She said CARE Kenya in conjunction with

Kibe said climate change affects the water, fuel wood sources for energy and these greatly endanger women’s lives in all communities especially women in rural areas in developing countries most of who depend highly on local natural resources for their livelihood.

She said because of women responsibility to secure water, food, energy fuel for cooking and heating, most Kenyan communities change are still yet to fully grasp the magnitude of climate change, as the magnitude of exclusion is greater in women.

“The effects of climate change, including drought, uncertain rainfall and deforestation, make it harder to secure these resources. By comparison with men in poor countries, women face historical disadvantages, which include limited access to decision –making and economic assets that compound the challenges of climate change,” Kibe explained.

Pro-Gender voices at the meeting said decision –making role is still largely dominated by men who still control access to social and physical resources which according to Kibe is deliberate schemes to exclude grass root women in the important debate on climate change.

She is urging the government to create room for qualitative and quantitative representation of women and other marginalized groups such as grassroots, technical, elite etc at all discussions on the environment, climate change and sustainable development discussions.

The KCJWC group calls upon the government to always consult grassroots women of different constituencies in environmental and climate change discussion for evidence before statements, policies and national positions are taken over the issues.

The group against climate change said at the global level, the Commission on the Status of Women considered the issues of climate change at its 46^th session in 2002.

The Commission on the Status of Women considered climate change as an emerging issue in its 52^nd session in 2008.

The agreed conclusions on environmental management and mitigation of natural disasters adopted by the Commission called for action to mainstream a gender perspective into ongoing research on the impacts and causes of climate change, and to encourage the application of results of the research in policies and programmes.

The participants drew attention to the fact that climate change is not a gender neutral phenomenon, stressing that it has a direct impact on women’s lives due to their domestic work and makes their everyday sustenance even more difficult.

The Commission even proposed for efforts on financing for gender equality and the empowerment of women, especially referring to the impact of climate change on women and girls.

Furthermore, it called for governments to; integrate a gender perspective into the design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and reporting of national environmental policies to strengthen mechanisms and to provide adequate resources to ensure women’s full and equal participation in decision –making at all levels on environmental issues, particularly on strategies related to the impact of climate change on the lives of women and girls.

The Nairobi workshop that brought together about 60 women from all the Kenya’s counties came at a time of heightened activities geared towards building the momentum to the sustainable development conference for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil scheduled to be held in June this year.