Why Women are Our Eco-Super Heroes

Why Women Should Lead, How to Help Them, & Celebrate Women Already Making an Impact

Mar 08, 2022

Happy International Women’s Day! Welcome to Save Our Happy Place, a newsletter making it easy for you to help protect the places you love from climate change. Today we are exploring how women are poised to be effective climate leaders and how to help more women break into leadership roles. Finally, we are celebrating women who have faced fear and adversity, looked the climate crisis in the eye, and taken action.

International Women’s Day

Leading the Way to Our Sustainable Future

As 49.58% of the world population is female, the breadth and scope of the ways in which women affect and are affected by climate change are tremendous. From having to face that women are disproportionately harmed by the climate crisis for reasons like higher levels of poverty and increased violence towards them during times of environmental stressors, to admitting that women have the continued burden of being the primary consumers in the household, thinking about women in the context of climate can be stressful.

But more so than anything else, it can be hopeful. Despite the odds, the media, and the glass ceilings on leadership roles being stacked against them, women are taking on climate change head-on, creating a more peaceful and sustainable world, and simply being the change we want to see in the world. Despite how necessary gender equality among leadership positions is to create a more just and sustainable future, women are still highly underrepresented in government.

So let’s shed some light on how powerful and effective women can be in the climate movement to help close the gender gap.

10 Reasons Why Women are Our Eco-Super Heroes

“We are either going to have a future where women lead the way to make peace with the Earth or we are not going to have a human future at all.” —Vandana Shiva

Female representation in national parliaments leads countries to adopt more stringent climate change policies.
Women are more likely to use their power to reduce emissions.
Women generally perceive climate change as a greater threat.
Women address climate threats in a more risk-averse manner.
Women adopt innovative and preventative measures at a faster rate than men.
Women tend to think for the collective whole rather than themselves.
Women are shown to make more decisions that support the public good, provide fair pay and benefits, and encourage honest and ethical behavior.
Where women have higher social and political status, their countries have 12% lower CO2 emissions.
When women are involved in peacemaking negotiations they increase the probability of ending violence by up to 24%
Female-founded companies in a major VC portfolio outperformed companies founded by men by 63%, delivering significantly higher revenue.

Help Increase Female Leadership

Increasing female leadership within the government is a proven route toward decreased greenhouse gas emissions. If you’re a woman thinking about running for office, take that leap! Check out the below organization to help support you on this journey or consider supporting their efforts.

She The People is activating and mobilizing women of color across the country to create political policies grounded in love, justice, and belonging.
Matriarch helps progressive, working women run for office.
She Should Run works to dramatically increase the number of women considering a run for public office.

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The Headlines We’re Happy to See

Women’s Edition: Climate Wins Directly From Female Leadership

Shumitra Chaudhari in her shop selling clean energy and beauty products in Kailali District, Nepal. Photo: Ashden

Empower Generation mentors and supports women to create their own solar energy businesses in Nepal. - Read More
More Women Than Ever Are Contributing to the IPCC Climate Reports. - Read More
Women in Puerto Rico Help Fuel Region’s Solar Energy Revolution. - Read More
Women’s co-op dairy in Kenya breaks the agricultural glass ceiling. - Read More
Women’s mosque goes solar in India clean energy push. - Read More
Tajikistan’s women deploy solar power for heating. Read More
Women are leading Kenya’s coral reef revival. - Read More
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu makes three free bus lines for climate justice.- Read More