Yesterday saw over 50,000 people from across the country flowing through the streets of the capital as part of the biggest climate change march the UK has ever seen, while thousands more in Scotland joined a sister march in Glasgow. Women from WEN were part of the march in London to join calls for the UK Government to take urgent and effective action to tackle climate change.
Tomorrow, the UN Climate Change Conference begins in Copenhagen, with negotiators from around the world gathering to try and come to an agreement on targets to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions from 2012, when the Kyoto Protocol targets which were agreed in 1997 expire. Substantial progress needs to be made this year if the new targets are to be in place in time to have a chance of preventing the worst effects of climate change. Since 1997, awareness of how climate change as an issue of social justice has increased dramatically. But too few people are aware of the way in which climate change is a gender issue.
Because of women's social roles, and their increased likelihood of living in poverty, both in the UK and around the world, climate change will affect women differently. Yet women remain under-represented in national and international decision-making about climate change.
WEN will be in Copenhagen, joining groups from around the world in calling for a fair and effective deal to tackle climate change, and working with women's organisations to put gender on the climate change agenda. Watch this space!
Image: hmcotterill, Creative Commons
No comments:
Post a Comment