REALIZING A GENDER-RESPONSIVE APPROACH TO OUR CLIMATE CHANGE COMMITMENTS – THE WOMEN’S FORUM & CLIMATESEED
It has been one year since lockdowns
around the world started to unfold due to the covid-19 pandemic, and climate
action has never been so relevant as economies and societies globally look to
rebuild. The pandemic has clearly demonstrated that the relationship between
people and nature must be reassessed. This past year, a record number of
organizations and countries worldwide made bold commitments to address the
climate crisis in growing recognition of this fact.
This increasing undertaking comes
not a moment too soon. The IPCC has stated that we have 10 years to take
transformational climate action to limit global warming well below 2°
(preferably to 1.5°C) and avoid catastrophic climate disasters. To do so, in
line with the Paris Agreement targets, global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
need to be reduced to “net zero” by 2050 and halved by 2030. This “net zero”
objective is twofold: to reduce the total amount of emissions and increase
absorption capacity.
Achieving these ambitious targets
will require a blend of action, including the direct reduction of CO2 emissions
and the support of emissions reduction projects through climate finance.
To this end, the Women’s Forum is
taking a strong commitment to fight climate change by measuring, reducing its
emissions, and contributing to carbon reduction projects with co-benefits on gender
equality. This engagement will cover all emissions generated from its
activities throughout the year to reach a net-zero level.
To realize this ambition, the
Women’s Forum is partnering with ClimateSeed, a Social Business launched by BNP
Paribas in collaboration with Nobel Peace Prize recipient Professor Yunus.
ClimateSeed accompanies organizations towards their net-zero emission
trajectory. As a Social Business, ClimateSeed reinvests 100% of its profits and
focuses on achieving positive social and environmental impacts. ClimateSeed
works with organizations to measure and reduce their carbon footprint and
achieve positive social and environmental impacts by contributing to emission
reduction projects that support local communities and protect the planet and
its biodiversity.
At the Women’s Forum, we know that
climate change and gender are deeply interconnected issues. Women leaders of
all ages have and continue to be driving forces in raising our global ambition
to tackle climate change. In our economies and communities, women occupy
essential roles to accelerate and scale climate action. It is understood that
failure to limit global warming to safer levels will have a devastating and
disproportionate impact on women, much like with the covid-19 pandemic. At the
same time, the successful transition to green economies and societies can be a
transformational driver of women’s empowerment if we are intentional about it.
Addressing climate change cannot be done with one hand tied behind our back. We
will not achieve a just transition without women’s leadership and participation
in creating and driving solutions.
It is important, therefore, to be
gender-responsive in our climate action. The Women’s Forum and ClimateSeed will
work together on the roadmap towards net-zero through measurement,
decarbonization, and contribution to carbon reduction projects that support
local communities, educate and empower women in countries most vulnerable to
climate change. As well as supporting these projects, the Women’s Forum will
collaborate with ClimateSeed to tell the meaningful story of these projects. We
will give a concrete example and demonstrate to others the possibilities and
benefits of linking gender equality with climate action.
“All
the projects on the ClimateSeed portfolio offer social and environmental
co-benefits that support local communities. ClimateSeed works with project
developers that highlight the role women play in the communities and their
projects. For example, a forest conservation project in Guatemala is centered
around protecting 60 thousand hectares of forest from deforestation.
Furthermore, it has direct social impacts at the heart of the project
activities that improve women and girls’ livelihoods through healthcare and
educational programs. For several emission reduction projects, empowering women
ceases to be a mere co-benefit of the project, but rather the core focus of
it.”
– Michelle Parra, Head of Client
Development and Projects at ClimateSeed.
The Women4ClimateAction Daring Circle
will continue to support institutions to understand and implement a
gender-responsive approach to climate change. This year, the Daring Circle will
re-launch its Charter for Engagement on
Women Leading Climate Action in the context of COP26, with a renewed focus
on providing actionable recommendations and measures that public and private
institutions, as well as individual leaders, can take to realize their
commitment. The partnership between the Women’s Forum and ClimateSeed will be a
vital part of our efforts to increase awareness of the gender and climate nexus
and demonstrate how women’s empowerment and fighting climate change go
hand-in-hand.
“This
year’s focus for the Women’s Forum is not only to inspire gender-responsive
climate action, but also to lead by example.”
– Chiara Corazza, Managing Director
of the Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society
Let’s engage for impact!
Best regards,
Chiara Corazza
Michelle Parra-Guedez
About
the Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society
The Women’s Forum for the Economy and Society is a
leading platform that works to highlight the many voices of women in order to
bring a high-value contribution to the most crucial challenges that the world
is currently experiencing. It provides a unique place in which business and
policy makers work together to seek solutions to common problems related not
only to the role of women but also to economic growth and wellbeing, share
experiences and promote best practices for encouraging a shift to a perfect gender
equality society. It works on developing concrete instruments, Charter, and
recommendations to accelerate inclusive growth and reduce inequalities through
the empowerment of women across society.
About ClimateSeed
ClimateSeed is a Social Business launched by BNP Paribas in collaboration with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Prof. Yunus’ team. It accompanies organizations to contribute transparently to carbon reduction projects that preserve the planet, support local communities, and protect biodiversity. ClimateSeed connects sustainable project carriers worldwide with corporations and organizations that want to support carbon reduction projects and have social and environmental impacts on the planet. With ClimateSeed, organizations have access to the highest quality projects that have passed a robust three-level verification process, including project certification, banking due-diligence and anti-money laundering assessment, and validation from ClimateSeed’s internal Sustainability Committee. As a Social Business, ClimateSeed is 100% committed to reinvesting its profits and promoting social and environmental programs to fight climate change. It makes climate action transparent through its services and tools.
Click here for the PDF version of the press release
At the Women’s Forum, we know that climate change and gender are deeply interconnected issues. For this reason, the Women’s Forum is renewing its strong commitment to fight climate change by measuring, reducing its emissions, and contributing to carbon reduction projects with co-benefits on gender equality. This engagement will cover all emissions generated from its activities throughout the year to reach a net-zero level. To realize this ambition, the Women’s Forum is partnering with ClimateSeed, a Social Business launched by BNP Paribas in collaboration with Nobel Peace Prize recipient Professor Yunus.
The Women’s Forum and ClimateSeed joined forces to achieve meaningful climate action on the occasion of our 2020 Women’s Forum Global Meeting. This action is based on the recognition of the fundamental role of women in the fight against climate change. After ClimateSeed measured the carbon footprint of 2020 Global Meeting, the Women’s Forum supported a high-quality carbon reduction project that contributes to the achievement of SDG5 (gender equality): the Cook Stoves Project in Peru!
On the occasion of the 2020 virtual Global Meeting, the Women’s Forum and ClimateSeed have joined forces to achieve meaningful climate action. This action is based on the recognition of women’s fundamental role in the fight against climate change. From global leadership to small communities in developing countries, women must be empowered and involved in protecting our planet if humanity wants to succeed in tackling the most important challenge of our time.
Gender must become a mainstream concern of all stakeholders so that a gendered lens is consistently applied across the actions undertaken to drive climate action.
This article is part of our ongoing series The Gender Imperative: Re-imagining Climate Action, in which the Women4Climate Daring Circle calls upon expert members of our global Women’s Forum community to provide their perspectives on the urgent need to promote women’s leadership on climate change, particularly in the present moment.
La nécessité d’interroger le rôle spécifique des femmes dans la lutte contre le changement climatique est en soi le signe de plusieurs profonds déséquilibres.
This article is part of our ongoing series The Gender Imperative: Re-imagining Climate Action, in which the Women4Climate Daring Circle calls upon expert members of our global Women’s Forum community to provide their perspectives on the urgent need to promote women’s leadership on climate change, particularly in the present moment.
This video message is part of our ongoing series The Gender Imperative: Re-imagining Climate Action, in which the Women4Climate Daring Circle calls upon expert members of our global Women’s Forum community to provide their perspectives on the urgent need to promote women’s leadership on climate change, particularly in the present moment.
