Architects for a Better World
“Women are not just victims of a broken world; they can be architects of a better one.” This quote from Melinda Gates about the global response to the pandemic resonates as a crucial principle in international efforts to address climate change. While women are fourteen times more likely to die in climate-related catastrophes, their participation and leadership is essential to driving solutions—not just to tackle inequities, but to advance climate policies necessary for the entire planet.
According to the Georgetown Institute of Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS), women are disproportionately affected by climate change. Among the many negative impacts are loss of livelihood, food insecurity, forced migration and uncertain housing, and increased vulnerability to gender-based and domestic violence. The difficulties posed by climate change exacerbate the persistent challenges women and girls around the world already face.
Major climate policies from around the world incorporate assertive strategies to engage female leadership in finding solutions, and this is not just to alleviate suffering and foster a kinder and more just world. It is to help save the planet and avoid our extinction.
An initiative in Kenya taught women farmers to use photography to document the practices they use to adapt to new climate conditions. This medium allowed policymakers to learn directly from the participating women’s knowledge, experience, and ideas. This networking was in fact a success.
According to the World Economic Forum, studies show that women in power correlates with more attention to sustainability and climate issues. Per the UN Commission, women leaders commonly demonstrate an orientation toward the following solutions:
Investing and sharing new technologies
Managing renewable energies
Building zero waste and circular economy business models
Water and forest conservation
Deploying indigenous and regenerative agricultural practices
Tina Stege, Climate Envoy from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, explained her community’s experience in dealing with both nuclear testing and climate change: “We’ve lived in a state of vulnerability, and this has required ingenuity, innovation, community, and collaboration.…We have learned to speak truth to power….We know what it means to be vulnerable and not accept victimization. We use our vulnerability to understand what needs to be done, and to connect with others.”
LWV Chicago and its Environmental Action Committee (EAC) are led by women advocating for environmental justice and environmental sustainability, particularly waste management and plastic reduction. Please join us on our journey to affect change! Email us at environment@lwvchicago.org.