WEN AT THE MASS LOBBY: WOMEN’S VOICES FOR CLIMATE, NATURE AND JUSTICE

On the 9th July, Wen joined thousands of people in Westminster for the Mass Lobby for Climate and Nature, organised by The Climate Coalition. This day of action brought together people, campaigners and organisations from across the UK to call on MPs to show real leadership in tackling the climate and nature crises.

A mass lobby is people power in action – constituents from across the country travelled to Westminster to meet their MPs face-to-face and demand urgent climate action. It sent a clear, unified message: that bold, just solutions to the climate and nature crises are not just wanted, but expected.

The team – Sajna, Shazna, Kate and Heidi manned the Wen stall in the Lobby Hub, in the Elizabeth II Centre. We spoke with hundreds of people eager to learn more about Wen’s call for a Feminist Green New Deal – a bold public investment in public services that slashes emissions while redistributing power and resources and centering care.

“It was great to meet so many people from all around the UK – coming together to demand climate action”  – Shazna, Community Researcher, Wen

“It was inspiring to see so many young people from schools across the country engaging deeply with the issues, asking questions, and bringing their energy and insight to the day” 

-Kate Metcalf, Co-Director, Wen

We were joined by members of the Climate Sisters group from Women’s Inclusive Team, along with Wen team members Roshini, Rebecca, and Shabina. For many in the group, it was powerful to be present in a space like Westminster — the symbolic and literal centre of decision-making. But it was also striking to note how white the space was. Apart from the Wen team and Climate Sisters, there were very few other visibly Muslim women present — a reminder of how these spaces can often feel less welcoming to racialised and marginalised communities.

This experience reinforced why the Climate Sisters Feminist Climate Leadership programme is so necessary — to ensure that diverse voices are not just heard, but centred in climate spaces.

During the day we took part in the photo call outside Westminster, together with some of the Climate Sisters. It was quite a moment, standing with so many other Climate Coalition members and individuals, calling for climate action. Wen was interviewed by reporters and the press were particularly interested in photographing Wen’s diverse team and the Climate Sisters, indicative of the lack of diversity at the event – the how the climate space is missing racialised and marginalised women’s voices.

“These spaces aren’t diverse at all – and that’s exactly why Climate Sisters exists — to challenge that. You always hear about these places, but being there made it real — and it made the lack of diversity clear. Even the photographers picked up on it, showing particular interest in capturing the group” – Rebecca, Climate Sisters Coordinator

Photo call outside parliament 

The day was a reminder of both the power of collective action and the work still to be done to make climate spaces truly inclusive. Representation matters –  and until all voices are heard, especially those most affected by the climate crisis, the movement will remain incomplete.

That’s why we will continue to push for bold policies that centre care, equity, and the environment — and to ensure that those most often excluded are at the heart of the solutions.