March 8 is International Women’s Day, and this is a day to honor all the women who have contributed to environmental stewardship around the world. However, this year we are forced to acknowledge that women are increasingly being targeted by a growing chorus of misogynistic voices.
In the era of trump sexism is thriving. The despicable abuse hurled at global climate icon Greta Thunberg by world leaders is a deplorable case in point. The problem extends well beyond world leaders as demonstrated by the U.N. Development Program’s Gender Social Norms Index in which nearly 90 percent of respondent indicated that they harbor some type of bias against women.
As explained by Nina Munteanu in a Vancouver Sun article, the reason that conservative men are so negatively disposed towards female environmentalists is because these women threaten their gender identity. She illustrated the link between climate-denial and misogyny by citing an August 2019 article by Martin Gelin which explains that attacks against Greta are “consistent with a growing body of research linking gender reactionaries to climate-denialism.”
She points to the anti-feminism of right wing nationalists and the disrespect commonly shown for indigenous Earth defenders. She also references work by Anshelm and Hultman suggesting that climate skeptics are linked to [toxic] masculinity. She quotes researchers who state that climate science is feminized and derided by the industrial patriarchy. Finally she cites an article in Scientific American titled “Men resist green behavior as unmanly,” In this article Brough and Wilkie argue that “women have long surpassed men in the arena of environmental action — across age groups and countries, females tend to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle. Compared to men, women litter less, recycle more, and leave a smaller carbon footprint.” Munteanu concludes, “Time for a paradigm shift. We’re not in the 1950s anymore …” We could not agree more.
To help counter ignorance and to celebrate the achievements of women, here are 28 posts commemorating their seminal efforts.
Fifty Shades of Greta
Greta Thunberg may be the the world’s most famous activist but she is quick to shine the spotlight
on the thousands of other activists around the world. Luisa-Marie Neubauer is an activist who is commonly called the German face of the Fridays for Futuremovement. However, Neubauer rejects comparisons with Greta. “We’re
building a mass-movement and reaching out quite far in our methods of mobilizing and gaining attention. What Greta does is incredibly inspiring but actually relatively far from that,” she said.
Many activists have been fighting in the trenches long before Greta came on the scene. Greta is a recent incarnation in a lineage of young environmental advocates that dates back decades. More than a quarter
century ago a 12-year-old by the name of Severn Cullis-Suzuki spoke at the plenary session of the Rio Earth Summit. She may have been among the the first to say “we are fighting for our lives” a phrase which has
become the battle cry of this generation. Ten years ago, 11-year old Smoan Brianna Fruean founded the Samoan chapter of 350.org after a powerful cyclone devastated her community. At 16, she became the
youngest person ever to win the prestigious Commonwealth Youth Award.
Here is a brief introduction to 50 young, mostly female activists that are fighting for the health of our planet and our communities.
Women are the Key to a More Sustainable Future
The importance of women to the future of our species goes way beyond
their procreative power. Female leadership is better leadership and
this augurs a better world. Women’s Day is an opportunity to advocate for true equality and to share
the evidence revealing why women are the more sustainable sex.
Empowering them is good for people, the planet and profits. If we want
to move forward we need to unambiguously assign blame. Women’s rights
are human rights and men that deny these rights need to be called out.
Climate Change is a Women’s Issue and so is the Clean Economy
In terms of climate change impacts women have the most to lose and in
terms of engaging climate action they have the most to gain. Women are
the sex most likely to suffer from the effects of climate change and
they have been shown to be better environmental stewards than their male
counterparts. Women are on the front lines of climate change and they are have made major contributions to both environmentalism and sustainability. However, there is a vast potential that has yet to be fully unleashed.
Women are at the Forefront of Historic Change in the US
Women are claiming their rightful place in the halls of political power
and they are changing the world in the process. Nowhere is this more
evident than in the blue wave that solidly rebuked the GOP’s leadership
in the US midterm elections of 2018. In recent years women are making their voices heard with unprecedented
vigor and in unprecedented numbers. The day after Trump was inaugurated
women staged the single largest day of protest in US history. They came
out again to demonstrate against Trump’s first year in office with a day
of national protest. Almost 2.5 million people came out for the second
annual Women’s March to fight for women’s rights, resist Trump and
denounce the Republican agenda. At these demonstrations they carried
signs like “grab him by the midterms” and that is precisely what they
proceeded to do.
Women are More Environmentally Friendly
According to a large number of studies, women are greener than men in both their attitudes and their actions. One study
shows that women have a greater stake in managing climate change as
they are “more likely to lose their lives and otherwise fare worse than
men in extreme events from heat waves to hurricanes and tsunamis.”
According to an international survey by Synovate, women are greener than
men. A study published by France’s National Institute of Statistics and
Economics shows that women emit less carbon than men. Men emit an
average of 39.3 kilograms of carbon per day, women emit an average of
32.3 kilograms of carbon per day.
Empowering Women is Synonymous with Combating Climate Change
If we want to address climate change around the world and in the
developing world in particular we need to see more women in leadership
roles. There is good evidence to support the idea that when women lead
communities are more sustainable. Climate change is a critical issue for everyone, but it is especially
hard on women. Happily women are also an essential part of the solution,
not only because they make up half (48.1), but because women tend to be
more green in their lifestyle choices and women in the workforce tend
to more sustainable.
10 Women at the Forefront of Environmentalism and Sustainability
Women are leading a social movement that is demanding accountability. The #MeToo movement and the historic Women’s March
are defining features of a rapidly changing landscape. We are seeing a
growing number women speaking truth
to power. More women than ever have taken to the streets to make their
voices heard and an unprecedented number of women are vying for
political leadership. This benefits both social and environmental
justice. Women are the greener sex and as explained in a GMO article empowering women has been shown to be conducive to sustainability.
100 Inspirational Female Environmentalists
Here is a series of comprehensive lists of female environmentalists
from well known environmental organizations and individuals. From
activists to sustainability focused business women, this ethnically and
geographically diverse group of women includes both young and old and
everything in between. While we are seeing a growing number of young feminist climate activists,
there is still so much that needs to be done in the area of gender
equality. The inclusion of women is key to climate action. Whether in
the workplace or in the home, women are the greener sex. Simply put, empowering women is synonymous with climate action.
Read more »
Celebrating Female Environmentalists on Women’s Day
calendar year to recognize the work done by women in the service of the
planet and its inhabitants. Throughout history there have been a number
of female environmentalists who have shown inspired leadership. Here are
some of those women as reviewed in the Huffington Post.
Rachel Carson
Rachel Carson is often credited with launching modern environmentalism
in the U.S. after releasing the famed book Silent Spring, which
celebrated its 50th anniversary last year.
Female Climate Justice Leaders and Environmental Champions (350.org)
Women are among the first to feel the impact of climate impacts.
However, women are also at the forefront of efforts to find and
implement sustainable solutions. Here are some of the female climate
justice leaders assembled by the staff at 350.org for International Women’s Day.
– Melina Laboucan-Massimo: Climate & Energy Campaigner Greenpeace Alberta Tar Sands Campaign
“She’s an amazing leader from the frontlines of the tar sands and has
worked tirelessly to connect the issue of missing & murdered
indigenous women with climate justice.”
– Lidy Nacpil: Convener of the Philippine Movement for Climate
Justice and Asia coordinator of Jubilee South, vice president of the
Freedom from Debt Coalition of the Philippines. She also serves on the
board of 350.org and is the coordinator of the Global Campaign to Demand
Climate Justice.
Climate Leader Greta Thunberg GMO’s Person of the Year
Greta Thunberg stands out for her climate leadership. She is not a captain of industry or a sustainability pioneer, nor is she a politician or the head of an NGO. Nonetheless, she has emerged as a giant in climate activism.
This 16 year old Swedish teenager is a descendant of Svante Arrhenius, the
Nobel-prize-winning scientist who
first calculated the greenhouse effect 122 years ago.
Greta’s story is a heartbreaking yet hopeful tale of hardship and
adversity. After learning about the climate crisis she fell into a
depression, she stopped talking and she went on a hunger strike. Then
she decided that she needed to do more to try to augur change. But what
could a 15 year old girl do? So she decided to stage weekly sit-ins
outside the Swedish Parliament. At first she did so alone and now
hundreds of thousands of kids have joined her in school strikes that are
taking place all around the world. “It
proves you are never too small to make a difference,” Greta told Mother Jones.
Christiana Figueres: Climate Leader and Champion of Mulitilateralism
There have been many capable women
who have contributed to the growth of sustainability, however no one
has been a more important figure in recent history than the former
Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC), Christina Figueres. Her tenure at the UNFCCC saw her achieve great things. She was
instrumental in negotiations that led to the signing of the historic
Paris Climate agreement. She took over her post at the UNFCC in 2010
after the disappointing failure of COP15 in Copenhagen. Five years later
she oversaw the signing of the historic accord at COP21 in which 195 countries agreed to limit global warming.
Remembering Marjory Stoneman Douglas
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High school is now synonymous with a Valentines
Day massacre, however, the school in Parkland Florida was named after a
leading figure in the history of American conservationism. Marjory was a
writer best known for her Everglades conservation advocacy. Marjory
helped people to understand that the well being of humanity is
inextricably linked to the health of the environment. One of her critics
described her as having both “moral authority” and a tongue like a
“switchblade”. The core of Marjory’s enduring legacy is her stalwart defense of the
Everglades. Over the period of many decades, she succeeded in fighting
off development efforts in the Everglades. She galvanized people in
defense of what she described as an ecosystem worth protecting. If it
were not for her, the Everglades may very well have been drained and
developed. She has earned the appellation of “Grand Dame
of the Everglades”.
Remembering Berta on International Women’s Day
On International Women’s Day 2016 we mourn the loss of Berta Cáceres, a
truly heroic environmental organizer. On March 3rd she was gunned down
in her hometown of La Esperanza, Intibuca in Honduras. Her assassins are
still at large and unlikely to ever be brought to justice.
Berta was an indigenous women who championed land and resource rights.
In 1993 she co-founded the National Council of Popular and Indigenous
Organizations of Honduras (COPINH). She was a dedicated protector of
the natural world who bravely stood up to powerful corporations, corrupt
governments and police with ties to death squads.
Canadian Sheila Watt-Cloutier the World’s Leading Voice on Arctic Climate Impacts and Human Rights
is an Inuit activist who was instrumental in helping the world understand the
link between climate change impacts in the Arctic and human rights. At 60, this
grandmother continues to be a leader of human rights for people living in the
Arctic. Although she currently lives in Iqaluit, she was born into a traditional
Inuit family in Kuujjuaq, in Northern Quebec’s Nunavik region.
Dr. Brundtland the Mother of Sustainable Development (Video)
Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland is widely regarded as the mother of sustainable
development and she is a highly effective political and environmental
activist. On January 18, 2016, Dr. Brundtland received a Lifetime
Achievement Award at the Zayed Future Energy Prize 2016 for her global
leadership on sustainability. Dr. Brundtland is the first female
recipient of this award. On behalf of the UN Foundation, President and CEO Kathy Calvin
congratulated Dr. Brundtland and highlighted the legacy of her work:
Female CSR and Sustainability Leaders (Triple Pundit)
As with every other aspect of the corporate world, men dominate the
senior echelons of the CSR and sustainability movement. However there
are a number of women who are showing that they not only are as good as
men but they may even be better. The data shows that having an executive team that includes women offers better CSR performance.
Despite the ongoing inequality women are gaining momentum in the CSR and sustainability world.
Here is Triple Pundit’s list of 35 inspirational women that are leading the push for sustainable change.
1. Pamela Alabaster, SVP Corporate Communications, Sustainable Development & Public Affairs, L’Oreal USA.
Visionary Women: The Profiles of Two Important Environmentalists
Angella Nazarian’s new book, Pioneers of the Possible: Celebrating Visionary Women,
includes profiles of two important environmentalists.
Marina Silva, who ran for president of Brazil last year and is referred
to as the Al Gore of Brazil. She’s been working tirelessly to save the
Amazon and was at the forefront of passing legislation for the
environment. Illiterate and living in the Amazon jungle as a rubber
tapper until age 16, she is also the winner of the prestigious Goldman
prize. Wangari Matthai of Kenya, the first environmentalist to win a Noble
Prize. She founded the Green Belt Movement that has led to more than 13
million trees being planted in Africa. Her movement has spread to
other African countries.
Women are Powering Solar in the Developing World: Five Success Stories
Women are a central part of projects that are making a difference in the
developing world. Women have distinguished themselves as sustainability
leaders on the world stage, but there are other unsung heroines who are
quietly engaged on the front lines of the clean energy revolution.
These women are not only earning a fair wage they are challenging
restrictive and dysfunctional gender stereotypes.
Women are part of the extraordinary growth of solar energy
and they are riding a wave of innovative financing. Solar enterprises
are spawning progressive business models. From home solar projects in
rural Bangladesh to staffing power stations in Morocco, women are
playing a central role. They are providing distributed solar devices and
clean cook-stoves in Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda. They are also
getting much needed training to be clean energy technicians and managers
in places like Ghana.
Women’s March Calls for Environmental Justice
The Women’s March is an annual worldwide protest. The first Women’s
March took place on January 21, 2017 the day after Donald Trump was
sworn in as President of the United States. The sexism of the commander
and chief helped to make the inaugural event the largest single day of
protest in US history. Climate protests are at the heart of growing resistance to Trump and women are leading the charge. This makes sense given that climate change and environmental degradation disproportionately disadvantage women.
Trump’s Victory has Spawned Unprecedented Opposition
The inauguration of Donald Trump marks the start of a very dark time in the history of the world. However, it has also given birth to a movement that gives us reason to hope. The scale of the protests against Trump is unprecedented. The protests
started even before inauguration day and they steadily grew. These
protests culminated in the Women’s March in Washington D.C., across the
US and throughout much of the world. This was not your average protest.
It was the largest March in US history with almost three million
Americans participating in every state in the union. This protest was
larger than even the biggest civil rights protests, there were more
people present to protest Trump than there were at protests against the
Vietnam war, this event even dwarfed the Million Man March.
Empowering Women may be the Key to Paul Polman’s Success
Paul Polman is a sustainability titan who has been at the helm of Unilever
for almost a
decade. Polman has made the economic argument and the business case for
ecological responsibility and social justice. He believes that
businesses must contribute to the betterment of society. Polman has been
an advocate of gender equality and his achievements at
Unilever are at least in part due to the fact that he has surrounded
himself with capable women. Polman is widely regarded as a leading figure in sustainability. He has
earned a number of accolades including the Duke of Edinburgh
Conservation Medal for outstanding service to the environment and the UN’s Champion for Global Change Award.
Impediments to Women in the Workforce Inhibit Environmental Action
Decreasing barriers to women in the workplace can shift the balance of power and help us to move forward on a host
of sustainability issues.
Women’s Day was celebrated on March 8, so this is an
opportune time to review the importance of women to the health of the planet.
While women represent roughly half of the population, they have yet to assume
their rightful role at the highest levels of decision making. We have good reason to believe that as the power of women grows, they will be
a civilizing force in business. There are a number of female environmentalists who
have played pivotal roles over the years. There are also a number of studies
which show that women are better for
the environment than their male counterparts.
Kavanaugh is a Trump Card With an Anti-Environmental Track Record
Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh is the worst Supreme Court nominee
for the environment on the shortlist provided by the Federalist
Society. However, people are protesting his nomination for a wide range
of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that Trump chose him
because of his stance on executive powers. The Senate hearings to confirm Kavanaugh have been chalked full of
drama. Some Democrats have called the hearings a sham and decried the
fact that the president invoked executive privilege to deny access to
information about the nominee. Protests included an ominous recreation
of iconic scenes from Margaret Atwood’s Dystopia the Handmaid’s Tale and
in what Cory Booker is calling his”Spartacus moment” he contravened
Senate rules by releasing information purportedly revealing Kavanaugh’s
support for racial profiling.
Indigenous Women Struggling with Climate Change and Environmental Degradation
Women are on the front lines of climate change and environmental
degradation and this is particularly true of indigenous women. Those who
are socially and economically disadvantaged will be the hardest hit so
this is an immense concern to indigenous women and the situation is even
worse for such women living in developing countries.
The climate-induced environmental threats they face include sea-level
rise and shifts in the ranges of important species of food bearing
plants.
Environmental insults are compounding the climate crisis. This is more
than just a disruptive inconvenience for indigenous women, it is a
direct threat to their physical, social and economic well being. For
these women, many of whom live in a very close relationship with the
natural world, climate change is an existential threat.
WECAN: Female Advocates of Climate Justice
Women advocated for climate justice with a day of action on February 14th 2014. A group known as WECAN
(Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network) took action for mother Earth
and climate justice in collaboration with One Billion Rising for
Justice.
Leading up to and on February 14th WECAN’s members documented women-led
solutions, testimonies and successes in the field of environmental and
climate justice throughout the world. Click here to see these actions.
WAGE: Women and the Green Economy
To
accelerate and provide the new thinking and creative power for a global
post-carbon economy, Earth Day Network is engaging women business,
government and NGO leaders in its “Women and the Green Economy” (WAGE®)
Campaign. WAGE® is working today to create a policy agenda for Rio+20
and generate relevant national initiatives that will promote the green
economy, secure educational and job training opportunities for women and
channel green investment to benefit women.
