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NEW INITIATIVE EMPOWERS WOMEN AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE CLIMATE REVOLUTION

GLASGOW, October 29, 2021 – Today, Catherine McKenna, former Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change in partnership with Student Energy and the United Nations are launching Women Leading on Climate at the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow. 

This new global initiative will highlight the disproportionate impact of the climate crisis on women and girls, while providing support to women to pursue local and transnational climate solutions.

  • According to UN figures, over 80% of people displaced by climate change are women. 
  • Women and girls bear the brunt of the impacts from future droughts, extreme weather, and famine. 
  • Climate instability leads to greater social unrest and more gender-based violence.

But women around the world are also at the forefront of the climate fight. From the boardroom within government, at the heart of their communities and from the streets, women are organizing to protect the planet and the future. 

Women Leading on Climate will celebrate heroes like Christiana Figueres, Laurence Tubiana who played indispensable roles in securing the Paris Agreement and sustaining momentum. It will honour moral voices like Mary Robinson, the past president of Ireland and a leader of the climate justice movement, and brave activists like Greta Thunberg who popularized climate strikes and brought ‘Fridays for the Future’ to the world’s schools and streets. 

Alongside these women are millions more who are pushing in countless inventive and practical ways to mobilize communities, change business and enact new laws.

By celebrating and supporting the women who are achieving success, Women Leading on Climate strives to inspire young women and girls to take action on climate change, develop their skills and lead in their communities. 

On Friday, November 5th, during COP26’s Youth and Public Empowerment Day, women and girls from around the world will flood COP26 with videos on social media using the hashtag #WomenLeadingOnClimate. This will include videos from prominent women leaders including New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern,Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General, World Trade Organization, and Gina McCarthy, White House National Climate Advisor as well as women, girls, and gender minorities from around the world who are acting on climate. 

Media are invited to attend a global Women Leading on Climate livestream event on November 5th from 3:00pm – 4:00pm (GMT)/11:00-12:00 (EDT) on November 5th, where women and girls around the world can share why they care about climate change, how it is impacting them, and how they are working to find solutions. Sign-up for the livestream here: https://webapp.spotme.com/welcome/secaa21

For more information, go towomenleadingonclimate.org.

Quotes:

“I am privileged to work with so many fearless women who are climate leaders. We know women and girls are particularly at risk when it comes to climate change, and yet women are also at the forefront of bold climate leadership around the world. Together, women are turning ideas into solutions, and I am proud that Women Leading on Climate can be a platform to elevate this work,” says Catherine McKenna.

“I applaud the launch of the Women Leading on Climate initiative and how it so effectively builds on our work with UN Women highlighting the gendered impacts of climate change. With strong partnerships between governments, businesses, and civil society we can work to enable more women to lead on the solutions we need to address climate change,” says Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland.

“Student Energy has a network of over 50,000 youth, half of whom are young women. We know how important it is to provide the funding, coaching and skills training they need to lead on energy and climate solutions. We look forward to continuing to partner with Women Leading on Climate to make sure the next generation of climate leaders is ready to implement the solutions we need and curb the impact of climate change on women globally,” says Meredith Adler, Executive Director, Student Energy.

How to participate:

  • Join the Women Leading on Climate revolution at womenleadingonclimate.org
  • Upload a 30-60 second video on social media with hashtag #WomenLeadingonClimate describing how climate change is impacting you and your community. We welcome submissions from people of diverse backgrounds, including sex, gender, sexual orientation, racial and ethnic minorities.
  • Join the global livestream November 5, 3-4pm GMT at https://webapp.spotme.com/welcome/secaa21

For media inquiries:

Shakti Ramkumar, Director of Communications and Policy
shakti@studentenergy.org
+1 (604) 445 4306