5 Empowering Women Fighting the Climate Crisis
Statistically, women are affected more than men when it comes to the climate crisis. For example, according to the UN, 80% of humans displaced by climate change are women, a staggering statistic. With all of the changes we’re facing due to climate change, it’s inspiring to see so many women not only fighting for climate change, but holding their ground in male-dominated industries such as science, law, and activism.
We wanted to bring to light a handful of empowering women who are fighting climate change and create climate crisis solutions with innovative and practical methods.
Tessa Khan, United Kingdom
Sector - Law
About - Tessa is a human rights lawyer and co-founder of Climate Litigation Network. Using the law to create and reinforce environmental policies within governments. Tessa is actively fighting climate change by holding governments accountable to their human rights obligations threatened by the climate crisis. She recently helped to launch Uplift, an organisation that will assist the UK to become fossil fuel-free.
Quote - “Litigation empowers ordinary people living with the impacts of the climate crisis. They have their voices heard in a forum that puts facts above everything else.”
Greta Thunberg, Sweden
Sector - Activism
About - Born in Sweden in the early 2000s, Greta has become an international household name through her climate crisis activism in addition to her diagnosis with ASD. She grew to international status after shipping school during the 2018 Swedish parliamentary election, to bring awareness to climate change. Each day more and more people joined her movement, which is now known as 'Fridays for Future' or 'School Strike for Climate'. Strikes have since been held internationally. Greta is a speaker and activist, passionate about solving the climate crisis. She gives courage and hope to her generation and beyond.
Quote - “No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference”
Miranda Wang, United States
Sector - Inventor
About - Miranda became passionate about solving the world's plastic problem after a high school field trip to a waste transfer facility. Later, after studying engineering and science at University, she partnered with her friend, Jeanny Yao, to create Novoloop (formerly BioCellection) in 2015. Novoloop is finding innovative, scientific solutions to breakdown and repurpose discarded plastic waste into sustainable products that are useful and practical to our modern world.
Quote - "We heard that, globally, only 9% of plastics is recycled. And of that proportion, even less is effectively recycled. So, while most of us might think that recycling starts and ends with putting things in a recycling bin, that’s really not true."
Isatou Ceesay, The Gambia
Sector - Environmentalism/Activism
About - Born in a small village in the Gambia in 1972, Isatou sold the cow she had inherited, enabling her to attend Gambia Technical Training Institue, and later joining the peace corps where she learned more about the plastic crisis. Later, Isatou and her sister began to upcycle plastic bags to crochet purses and other useful products, which they sold and taught other women to make and sell, empowering them to reduce and repurpose their plastic and giving them an essential source of income giving them financial independence. Isatou is also a writer, speaker, and multi-award-winning international activist who has trained over 11,000 people.
Quote - "As a habit [in The Gambia], people are accustomed to pouring their garbage behind their house, and because it is not visible, they forget it. But the bad effects again knock on your door very quickly"
Kate Marvel, United States
Sector - Climate Science
About - Dr. Marvel is an enthusiastic person actively working towards demystifying and speaking the truth about climate change. Starting in theoretical physics in Cambridge, she later found her passion for finding scientific solutions to climate change. Working with the likes of NASA and Columbia University, to name a few, Kate is passionate about finding solutions and informing people about climate change. Kate is also an author, teacher, and speaker, well known for her 2017 TED talk titles “Can clouds buy us more time to solve climate change?”
Quote - “I love that everything on the planet is connected. I love that things are both predictable and very complex.”