28 Posts Commemorating the Seminal Efforts of Female Environmentalists

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 spotlighton 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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.
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Celebrating Female Environmentalists on Women's Day

March 8, is International Women's Day, the most appropriate day in the 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.

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.

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.

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.

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".

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.

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Sheila Watt-Cloutier 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 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:

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.