Climate Change

Why WEN campaigns in this area

Climate change is the single greatest environmental threat to life on earth. Globally, women are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to different and unequal social roles and status. Women contribute less to climate change, are impacted more by it, and have less say in decisions about the problem. WEN is campaigning for gender and climate justice. We believe that women need to be involved equally at all levels in order to achieve climate justice.

What we do

We seek to affect national climate change policy making by bringing gender perspectives into the policy arena. We raise awareness about gender and climate change by producing accessible campaign and research materials for a wide range of audiences from women’s and environmental organisations, local and national policy makers, businesses, WEN groups and the general public.

How we do it and recent successes

We:

  • Produce reports, briefings and campaign updates
  • Deliver training and workshops
  • Influence and lobby policy and decision makers to call for gender and climate justice
  • Provide practical solutions for sustainable living

Recent successes:

  • In-depth report:  Gender and the Climate Change Agenda (pdf), launched in the House of Commons on 2 March 2010. The report examines the impacts of climate change on women in the UK and internationally and why it is crucial to involve women in climate change solutions. Described as a “fire-cracker of a report” by Peter Ainsworth MP, read more here:
  • Campaign briefing on: Why Women and Climate Change? (pdf)– a 4 page briefing summarising the key issues and practical suggestions for action.
  • Climate Club Handbook – an inspiring guide for groups to help them cut their carbon emissions and to start one-planet living. Free to download here: 3TC Handbook
  • WomensClimateChangeManifesto– produced jointly with the National Federation of Women’s Institutes, it calls for equal representation of women in environmental policy and for greener policies at all levels.

Who we work with to achieve it?

Stop Climate Chaos Coalition, National Federation of Women’s Institutes, UK Roundtable on Poverty and Climate Change, Capacity Global, Women’s Resource Centre, ActionAid, Oxfam, Progressio, World Development Movement, Climate Rush, WEN matrons

Our funders: Artists Project Earth, Feminist Review Trust,Tedworth Trust

How can people get involved?