Only in California: New Bill Claims Climate Change Impacts Gender

Climate change now impacts genders?

According to State Senator Steve Padilla (D-San Diego), Climate change impacts gender.

And according to Dr. Nancy L. Cohen of the Gender Equity Policy Institute, “Women bear the brunt of climate change.”

“Climate emergencies don’t affect everyone equally,” said Senator Padilla.

His Senate Bill 10 would require the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation and the Natural Resources Agency to conduct an assessment of the disparate and differentiated gendered impacts and risks of extreme heat.

You read that right.

If you think I am being hyperbolic, Senator Padilla issued a press release today about his gut-and-amend bill:

Today, Senator Steve Padilla (D-San Diego) introduced Senate Bill 10, a measure protecting vulnerable communities by requiring state agencies to include a gender analysis and perspective in climate emergency plans.

“Climate emergencies don’t affect everyone equally,” said Senator Padilla. “By requiring a gender analysis in our climate plans, we can better understand who is most at risk and ensure our policies protect those who are too often overlooked. This approach leads to smarter, more equitable solutions that strengthen the resilience of entire communities.”

How do we know this? Senator Padilla says “A global scientific consensus has emerged in the last 15 years that women are disproportionately vulnerable to climate change.”

So we are the fairer sex, after all. 

That global consensus is from the United Nations, which is “committing to advancing gender equality in climate action.”

This is a result of economic inequality, caregiving responsibilities, and biological risks that make them more exposed during climate-related disasters.

This is where it gets really sketchy, but evident that they are attempting to expand the climate grift at a time when most people are done with it:

In alignment with global practice, recently gender was added to California’s definition of climate “vulnerable communities.”

Despite California’s commitment to climate equity, in the past gender had been mostly overlooked and unaddressed in the state’s climate policy and planning. Given this record, action is needed to ensure that a gender perspective will be integrated in California’s climate work to advance community resilience and promote racial and gender equality.

SB 10 will require specified state agencies to integrate a gender assessment into their climate plans, to address and avoid worsening gender inequities alongside existing priorities for vulnerable communities and environmental justices.

The gender assessment will provide guidance for addressing women’s unique vulnerabilities to climate change, as well as surface distinct impacts that men and LGBTQ+ people face.

SB 10 will establish California as a national innovator in integrating a gender equality perspective into climate policy, bringing the state into alignment with global neighbors and peers. This bill expands on California’s recent addition of gender to the definition of climate “vulnerable communities” by establishing a legislative mandate for responsible agencies to integrate gender into their climate planning and policy. It will lodge the first effort in meaningful climate plans, while also yielding concrete success.

This didn’t come out of nowhere. In 2024, Senator Padilla authored SB 990, “which directs the Office of Emergency Services to establish what best practices state and local governments are to use when addressing the needs of the LGBTQ+ community after a disaster.”

Because the implication is that the LGBTQ+ community is more adversely affected by disasters? Really?

Or is it just a funding shakedown?

Sen. Padilla continues:

In 2025, The Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation recognized that gender is one of several vulnerabilities to climate change and updated the definition of climate vulnerable communities to include gender. SB 10 takes an important step in protecting vulnerable communities and supports Senator Padilla’s ongoing efforts to advocate for equitable emergency planning.

SB 10 is sponsored by the Gender Equity Policy Institute.

“Women bear the brunt of climate change. Our research also finds that California women face greater affordability challenges than men,” said Dr. Nancy L. Cohen, CEO of Gender Equity Policy Institute. “A pillar of California’s climate policy is equity, but up to now the gendered impacts of climate change have been largely overlooked. SB 10 tackles that missing piece in California’s climate policy. It is a groundbreaking measure that will ensure that California’s climate solutions benefit everyone. Gender Equity Policy Institute is proud to sponsor SB 10 and we applaud Senator Padilla’s visionary leadership in introducing this bill.”

I am sure that Dr. Nancy Cohen will be happy to tackle that “missing piece in California’s climate policy.”

Is this just another way to claim discrimination and get more grants to fund their nonprofit?

The Gender Equity Policy Institute sees everything through the lens of gender inequity. Their mission: Gender Equity Policy Institute (GEPI) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating women’s equality in the United States.

These are a few links to their articles:

Care Work and the Free-Time Gender Gap in California

High Home Energy Costs Hit Women Hardest

A Gender Equality Perspective on California’s Housing Crisis

Roadmap for an Equitable Future: Placing a Gender Lens on American Public Policy

The Gender Equity Policy Institute is a relatively small nonprofit, with about $1 million in revenue in 2024, and one employee – Dr. Nancy Cohen, who is paid about $115,000 in salary and benefits. Their 2024 IRS Form 990 reported receiving $113,000 in government grants. And they more than doubled some publicly traded securities – $307,193 beginning of the year, to $774,659 end of the year. Not bad.

They did spend over $300,000 on lobbying activities in four years. So perhaps this bill is a way to acquire more funding.