Women Are 2.5X More Likely To Demand Bold Climate Action

While the so-called strongmen divide and conquer, the climate crisis is escalating. And the ones already taking the hardest hits from it are women. Meanwhile, women are grossly underrepresented at the negotiating tables. But while Trump is dismantling crucial climate databases, female climate leaders are putting up resistance. And when women lead on climate, their track record is stronger.

Women and girls are disproportionately affected by climate change and weather-related disasters. They have less access to climate information, early warnings, agricultural advisory services, mobile phone technology and financial credit. And with the Trump administration shutting down services at, for instance the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and withdrawing financial support from research that mentions “climate,” there is an imminent risk that women will be hit even harder.

On the flip side, there are strong numbers supporting letting women lead on climate in all sectors of society. Women are:

• 2.5 times more likely to ask their governments to be bolder
• 60 % more likely to use their voices for good
• Twice as likely to engage civically

The World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Celeste Saulo pointed this out in a keynote at the International Gender Champions Event on Feb 16.

“Women are very effective at mobilizing communities in the event of disasters. They are at the frontline in moving forward with recovery. Women further hold key knowledge in natural resources management, and are key actors in climate adaptation and mitigation,” she said.

So, what does the female climate power look like? It is diverse and it is gaining traction.

WLOC — Women Leading on Climate

In 2021, Women Leading on Climate (WLOC) launched at COP26 in Scotland as an initiative under Climate and Nature Solutions with the goal of supporting women and girls globally who are leading the climate revolution. WLOC has grown its global coalition of women leaders, spanning government, business, and civil society to drive ambitious climate action through quiet diplomacy, collaborative dialogues, and elevating the collective voices of women leading the fight for a sustainable and just future.

In New York, during Climate Week this past September, more than 200 female business and policy leaders from around the world gathered at the offices of wind energy company Ørsted. Among those backing the new women’s leadership coalition to be formally launched at COP29 were climate veterans such as former UN executive secretary Patricia Espinosa, German envoy Jennifer Morgan, UK envoy Rachel Kyte and former French envoy Laurence Tubiana. Their gathering was motivated by the failure of the Azerbaijani COP29 presidency to include even a single woman in an initial 28-member organizing committee. After this and other reactions, more women were included, but the committee did not reach gender parity.

The representation of women in leading positions at the COPs is not impressive. In the past 10 years, only one woman has held the host-country-appointed position of COP president: Chile’s former minister for the environment Carolina Schmidt, who oversaw COP25.

In the March 7 edition of The Elders newsletter, the former President and Prime Minister of Mongolia Elbegdorj Tsakhia writes:

“Looking ahead to International Women’s Day, we need to explore new ways to ensure women’s voices are heard in the peace and security sphere, which has traditionally been male-dominated, and at all levels of global leadership. The Elders have a strong history of supporting gender equality and women in leadership, and we have recently been supporting the 1 for 8 Billion campaign’s call: after 80 years of men-only leadership, it’s time for a woman to serve as UN Secretary-General.”

In 2024, WLOC partnered with the We Mean Business Coalition (WMBC) to expand its global reach. Led by Catherine McKenna and Maria Mendiluce of WMBC, WLOC has hosted strategic dialogues, high-impact events at COP and Climate Week, and viral social media campaigns amplifying the voices of women and girls globally. This culminated on the first day of COP29 in Baku when women and girls from around the world brought messages about how they are acting on climate and demanding urgent, ambitious action from leaders now with the global social media campaign #WomenLeadingOnClimate.

“Women are pushing for more ambitious climate action in negotiating rooms, in boardrooms, in our communities and in the streets,” said Catherine McKenna. “In this critical time for climate action, we need to raise our voices even more. We’ve seen the power of women. When we come together: We go further, faster.”

This February Women Leading on Climate launched its Canadian chapter at GLOBExCHANGE.

Other organizations pushing for change

Another example is Mothers Rebellion, a movement of mothers, caregivers and allies in a growing global community on six continents:

“We will not give up the fight for a sustainable present and future for the current and coming generations. We want to be able to look our children in the eyes and say that we truly do all that we can. We turn our grief and frustration over the lack of a powerful, transformative response from our politicians and leaders into action.”

In connection to the International Women´s Day last year, circles with women protesting peacefully yet very powerfully, were formed in 90 cities in 3o countries.

Rebellmammorna started with mothers sitting in circles in cities in Sweden in 2022, holding signs with messages about the love of their children. The movement was started by Sara Nilsson Lööv, a psychologist. Every protest has seen an increase in countries and cities participating, and the circles have gotten a lot of media. Now fathers are supporting the women, creating circles, too in Sweden, using the same method.

Another powerful player is She Changes Climate, a global movement advocating for inclusion and diversity at all levels of decision-making to address the climate crisis and shape a sustainable future for all.

In one of their statements from COP 29 they write:

“Of the 78 Heads of State who attended COP29, only 8 were women—a shocking statistic that underscores the persistent gender imbalance in global leadership. In national delegations, the participation of women has stagnated at around 20% for years. This is not just an oversight; it is a systemic failure. Gender must be at the core of climate finance planning and national accountability, not an afterthought or token discussion. We call for binding commitments to ensure gender parity in national delegations, with countries held accountable for meeting these targets.”

The climate crisis is far from gender neutral. Women and men are affected differently by weather and climate, and therefore need gender-sensitive information and services.

So, what difference to mitigating and adapting to the climate crisis can this diverse and growing movement make? The answer is simple: It depends on if the men listen to and support those who are the most affected by climate change, the most engaged and have the best track record.