Each year on June 5th, the world observes World Environment Day—a global reminder that the health of our planet is inextricably linked to the wellbeing of its people. This year’s theme, “Our Land. Our Future. We are #GenerationRestoration,” calls on us to reverse land degradation and heal the Earth. But for many women in Nigeria, particularly those already pushed to the margins of society, the future feels far from restored.
At Lex Initiative, we work at the intersection of law, gender justice, and sustainable development. And we see firsthand that the climate crisis is not just an environmental issue, it is a deeply gendered justice issue. As desertification creeps across the north, floods displace thousands in the south, and drought worsens food insecurity, it is marginalised women who suffer the most, yet are heard the least.
Women on the Frontlines, Yet Left Behind
From rural farmers in Benue to displaced mothers in Bayelsa, women are often the first to feel the impacts of land degradation and ecological breakdown. In many parts of Nigeria, women are responsible for securing water, firewood, and food for their households. When natural resources dry up, they walk longer distances, face greater physical strain, and become more vulnerable to gender-based violence.
Yet these same women are frequently denied land rights, excluded from environmental policymaking, and overlooked in disaster response. Their labour sustains households and communities, but their voices remain absent in the very conversations about how to restore our environment.
For women already living on the margins — widows, indigenous women, women with disabilities, and those whose sexual or gender identities fall outside mainstream norms, the risks are even more severe.These groups often lack legal recognition, formal housing, or access to public services, making them doubly vulnerable during climate disasters. When floods or fires come, many are unable to access aid, seek shelter, or even report abuses.
The Climate Change Act: A Missed Opportunity for Inclusion
Nigeria’s Climate Change Act (2021) was a landmark moment in recognising climate threats at the national level. But it falls short in one critical area: inclusion. The Act does not adequately address gender inequality, let alone the unique vulnerabilities of marginalised women.
Without explicit mandates to involve women in climate governance, or protect those most at risk of climate-induced displacement and violence, the Act risks reinforcing the same power imbalances that the climate crisis is worsening.
True restoration demands more than ecological solutions — it requires a legal and policy framework that recognises who is vulnerable, why, and what must change.
A Feminist Approach to Climate Justice
At Lex Initiative, we believe that climate action must be feminist, inclusive, and legally grounded. We are working to close the justice gap by:
- Providing pro bono legal support to women affected by climate-related displacement and housing insecurity;
- Training feminist lawyers and paralegals to engage in environmental governance with a gender lens;
- Hosting community dialogues that amplify the voices of women at the grassroots and document their experiences for advocacy and litigation;
- And pushing for a rights-based implementation of Nigeria’s climate framework that leaves no woman behind.
Hope in Community, Power in Law
Despite the challenges, women are not passive victims. Across Nigeria, they are mobilising, planting trees, saving seeds, advocating for clean water, and holding local leaders accountable. What they need is a legal system that protects their efforts, amplifies their voices, and guarantees their rights to land, safety, and participation.
On this World Environment Day, we must confront the truth: a sustainable future cannot be built on the exclusion of half the population. If we are to restore our land, we must also restore justice, by ensuring that Nigeria’s most vulnerable women are not invisible in law, policy, or practice.
Let us be a generation that restores not just ecosystems, but equity.
About the Author:
Augusta Yaakugh-Shahin is a feminist lawyer, policy advocate, and Executive Director of Lex Initiative for Rights Advocacy and Development (LIRAD), where she leads intersectional legal advocacy focused on gender justice, climate policy, and sustainable development.
