OPINION: It is more important than ever for countries to look at their commitments to climate financing and how they can reach their national commitments to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. It is also crucial that nations consider the impact of how global warming relates to climate justice.
It has been estimated that the Covid-19 pandemic pushed about 150 million people into extreme poverty and by 2030, climate change is expected to push an additional 132 million into that zone. The group most impacted by this global crisis are women, especially young girls, as they are most likely to be exposed to poverty, loss of livelihood and malnutrition.
A report from the United Nations proves this staggering point. It noted that extreme weather events due to climate change disproportionately affect women and girls and their ability to perform their everyday tasks, which partly explains why some girls are forced to drop out of school.
The tasks of collecting firewood and water in some countries, which traditionally fall to women and girls, are heavily affected by adverse climate change impacts, which force the women and girls to travel further from their homes to complete the tasks and provide for their families. In turn, the longer journeys increase their exposure to gender-based violence outside the home.
For many of us in countries like Australia, the correlation between climate change and gender equality might at first seem hard to understand. But equality is essential to sustainability and organisations like the UN are starting to recognise the connections between gender equality and environmental sustainability like global food security.
Empowering women to drive the circular economy
Although the circular economy is based on common sense, wisdom, care, and inventiveness – things that millions of women across the world demonstrate daily – women are overrepresented in the industries that go against the circular economy.
According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), globally, women make up most of the workforce working in the informal waste management sector.
The circular economy provides us with amazing opportunities to introduce new ethical norms in business and fine-tune the balance between profit and social responsibility.
It represents the idea that we keep resources in use for as long as possible, extract the maximum value from them whilst in use, then recover and regenerate products and materials at the end of each service life. Products designed with the circular economy in mind can be easily repaired, remanufactured, or recycled. Here at Avery Dennison, we are focusing on regeneration as the natural evolution beyond sustainability.
Women leaders in various industries are already proving they are ready to go the extra mile to achieve more sustainable business practices coupled with a positive social impact.
In Australia, KPMG estimates that a circular economy could give us a $23 billion GDP boost – which would be a huge win for women. It would create more jobs, more study opportunities and a healthier place to live overall.
With small investments in awareness-raising and skills related to responsible patterns of production and consumption, women can be, as many of them already are, the engines and souls of the circular economy and circular culture.
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As we know, it is up to both the private and public sector to help us reach our climate and sustainability goals. Governments must set the bar, make accessibility to finance easier and provide pathways for those at the start of their decarbonisation journeys. It is up to corporates to take responsibility too – whether that be adhering to new criteria, sustainability reporting, digitising supply chains or helping to educate others.
To drive this change, we need to empower others in our industry to become aware of what it means to be a part of a regenerative economy. The journey to net-zero is undoubtedly overwhelming, and we can appreciate that individuals and small businesses don’t know where to start. The best bet we all have is to work collaboratively instead of competitively, by offering programs that foster education in the sustainability field.
