I run a global resilience center, and 2020 has given new meaning to the word “resilience.” We have set a goal of enhancing the resilience of one billion people by 2030, focused on the challenges of climate impacts, human migration and health, and food and water security. By most measures, our environment, the climate, and people around the world are not doing very well.
Many gains in bringing people out of poverty are going to be erased, not to mention the trajectory of carbon emissions, with few or no countries on track to meet their Paris Agreement commitments. Food insecurity is soaring in every corner of the world and biodiversity loss is threatening our short-term health and long-term existence.
But I have hope. The answer to getting through our current muck and toward a more resilient future? It won’t surprise you. Put simply, women need to lead us through all of this - and sustain and grow a high level of leadership. Looking to 2021, I believe we can address these crises by investing deeply in women’s leadership, and in-so-doing, help solve our interrelated challenges: health, the economy, inequality, instability, and climate change— and reach further toward that resilient future.
The record is clear. Countries with a higher percentage of female members of parliament pass more aggressive climate policies, and a 2019 study also shows that the representation of females in parliament results in lower carbon emissions. This year has shown that women are more effective in leading their countries through the COVID crisis, as well. The findings of this study show that COVID outcomes are systematically better (fewer cases, fewer deaths) in countries led by women.
Research compiled by Women Deliver also reveals that women’s participation and leadership in politics results in:
▪ Prioritizing social issues and services concerning women, children, and families in policymaking
▪ Increased participation of women in the governance structures of institutions protecting community resources, such as forests
▪ A variety of environmental risks, from nuclear power to toxic substances, being taken more seriously
Again, these statistics won’t shock you. What’s different this time? I believe that it’s the right time to seize the crises we’re facing as an opportunity and effect a turbo-charged surge of women in leadership around the world. We can build and scale solutions that begin to reshape society, our financial system, how we define value - and the planet - for a more just and more resilient tomorrow.
Who’s in?
Kathy Baughman McLeod
Guest Editor
