Margaret Atwood is known for her post-apocalyptic fiction, often depicting the brutal oppression of women in dystopian universes. You only have to read or watch The Handmaid’s Tale to see how Atwood can weave reality with fiction to bring women’s stories to the forefront.

Now, the author has spoken of how climate change will leave women much worse off than men, with women bearing the brunt of hunger and war from environmental damage.

“This isn’t climate change – it’s everything change,” Atwood told the Guardian ahead of the Under Her Eye event in London in June. “Women will be directly and adversely affected by climate change.”

The author, who has gained international acclaim from the success of The Handmaid’s Tale in which women are stripped of all rights and forced to reproduce, believes women will struggle to survive in the future due to climate change.

Margaret Atwood on why women will inherit climate change