Climate change response is essential work for feminists

Equality Rights Alliance Gender Equality Symposium: Working Together for Women 2024

Melbourne, 3 July 2024

Introduced and moderated by Victoria McKenzie-McHarg (Women's Environmental Leadership Australia), this important panel discussion included WCC Steering Circle member, Dr Mary Picard, Bianca McNeair (Buyungurra Nyarlu Turtle Monitoring Program) and Clare Gibellini (Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA).

In her introduction, Victoria refers to a research report recently launched by WELA - Gender, Climate and Environmental Justice in Australia and discusses why much more attention is still needed on the inclusion of women in envirornmental and climate change policy setting and decision making. When able to lead on their own terms, women bring different policy prioirties that are reflected in different decisions and outcomes but this is not happening and women are mostly still fitting into patriarchal paradigms - sometimes without even realising it. Watch the video for Victoria’s powerful presentation.

Speaking about the WCC, Mary says:

"I think women are the connectors internationally as well as nationally and know that’s one of the things that the Women’s Climate Congress is really interested in doing – is basically mobilising women to have these fairly positive conversations at community level and with parliamentarians to develop a sustainable future.

So that’s really about bringing a gender equality lens and women’s leadership and empowerment to these conversations, and I think groups like this (i.e., international women’s organisations), and the Women’s Climate Congress, are really important for cutting across because I think that government structures are inherently inflexible. So, it’s a lot of work but I think that is something that we can do."