One of the things COP26 has made clear is that the climate crisis cannot be ended without women’s empowerment. As girls and women suffer disproportionally from the impacts of climate change because they tend to be less educated, poorer and more dependent on subsistence farming, the importance of empowering women, only becomes more important.
What climate change lets people from developed countries feel in the form of changing weather patterns becomes life-threatening for some in developing countries. The Malala Fund report stated that climate-related events would prevent at least 4 million girls in lower-income countries from completing their education in 2021. Furthermore, climate change would not allow 12.5 million girls to complete their education on current trends every year, which would be an absolute injustice. Besides being a fundamental good, education empowers women and equips them with the necessary know-how to navigate a world impacted by climate change.
A world that men have mainly designed has spurred the desire in women to shift this balance towards a world based upon more women infused acts. Could a world led by more women be the key to ending violence against women and children? Whereas the answer to this question can merely be assumed, it is comprehensible that women want to be in the corridors of power. In order to help end the struggle of climate injustice, women want to be part of the decision making. However, reality still depicts a dark picture in this regard. As world leaders were gathering at COP26, it was disappointing to see that only a tiny minority were women.
As with every issue, when the corresponding person is taken into consideration at the core of the effort, the outcome proves to be more effective. Thus, women are not pledging to be only supported; they’re demanding to be empowered.
Article by Ann Ziegler