| Past two years | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Full Text Views | 670 | 670 | 372 |
| PDF Downloads | 379 | 379 | 272 |
A Call to Action for Gender Equity in Climate Leadership
Climate action is not advancing quickly enough to prevent catastrophic harm. Understanding why might require looking at existing leadership structures and the inequitable gender representation therein. Critically examining dominant power structures could pave the way toward more comprehensive, innovative, and expedient environmental solutions—and we argue that elevating women’s climate leadership is key to safeguarding planetary health. Women have historically been left out of climate science and governance leadership. Women are disproportionately impacted by the health effects of climate change, particularly in Indigenous and low- and middle-income settings. Therefore, our call for women’s climate leadership is both an issue of justice and a matter of effectiveness, given evidence that inclusive leadership rooted in gender justice leads to more equitable outcomes. Here, we present evidence for why gender equity in climate leadership matters along with considerations for how to attain it across sectors and stakeholders.
Author Notes
Although we refer to women throughout this article, we acknowledge the social construction of gender and that marginalized gender identities may experience the gender inequities discussed similarly or differently9 depending on contextual factors, such as cultural norms, biology, and other intersecting identities.
Authors’ addresses: Britt Wray and Elaine C. Flores, Center for Innovation in Global Health, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, and Center on Climate Change & Planetary Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom, E-mails: bwray@stanford.edu and elaine.flores@lshtm.ac.uk. Erika M. Veidis, Ola Alani, Allison A. Phillips, and Michele Barry, Center for Innovation in Global Health, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, E-mails: eveidis@stanford.edu, oalani@stanford.edu, allisonaphillips@stanford.edu, and michele.barry@stanford.edu.