Women's leadership, key to tackling climate change

Equality, equity and representation describe social movements for gender parity, led primarily by women who have long been systematically marginalised in social, political and economic spheres. In 2015, 193 nations accepted the United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the goal of ensuring women's equal participation and equal opportunities in all areas of political, economic and social life (SDG 5). Now, seven years away from the target date, progress on this goal is widely debated. According to UN estimates, it still takes about 40 years to achieve political representation, 140 years to achieve equality in business leadership and approximately 300 years to achieve all aspects of SDG 5.

Climate change caused by human actions is making the planet increasingly dangerous. Climatic conditions during the Holocene, the last geological era that allowed for human evolution and the development of modern society, have been negatively affected by human economic activity. This has led to the new global conditions being considered a new geological era called the Anthropocene. According to climate scenarios, which predict an average global temperature increase of between 1.5 and 3 degrees Celsius, an increase in the frequency of extreme natural events such as storms, droughts and floods is expected with catastrophic consequences for humanity. The most affected are the poorest people in the developing world, especially women and girls. Natural disasters can exacerbate discrimination against women, increasing their vulnerability in situations of risk. Restrictive practices and cultures towards women's education and freedoms can limit their access to emergency information and decision-making in the event of evacuation, increasing the risk of fatalities.

Women's equality, equity and representation are key to tackling climate change and avoiding its worst consequences. A study published in Nature indicates that countries with greater gender inequalities are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change. On the other hand, societies with lower disparities are less vulnerable and take stronger measures to protect the environment and strengthen resilience. Women's political representation and leadership are related to these outcomes. In fact, countries with higher representation of women in government have lower levels of carbon dioxide emissions, considering other domestic and global factors as well. An analysis of 91 countries indicates that women's representation in parliament is linked to the adoption of stronger climate policies, which explains the reduction in emissions. Moreover, the effects of women's political representation go beyond climate action, as support for policies promoting greater investment in health, education, support for women, foreign policy (aid) and improving the quality of public institutions has also been observed. One example is the WEGo partnership, an international alliance of mostly women-led governments focused on improving public policy objectives for social and environmental well-being (beyond economic growth).

Women's leadership qualities are often oriented towards community care and cooperation. Due to imposed social norms, women often have an important role in caring for children and the elderly or sick. As a result, women tend to have a different risk assessment and resource management than men. Women show a greater capacity for prevention and typically manage available resources in the best interests of their family and community.

These characteristics are related to more appropriate responses in times of crisis. For example, during the Covid-19 pandemic, places led by women had a better response, reducing the number of deaths, explained by speed and proactivity in decision-making and a clear, empathetic, interpersonal and decisive way of communicating, markedly different from their male counterparts. These characteristics are also reflected in business leadership where women are perceived as more effective than men in most of the characteristics assessed including initiative, resilience, integrity, honesty, achieving results and appreciation of diversity.

Women's leadership in the development of alternatives to the present economic system, based on the imperative of perpetual growth (extraction, production, consumption and disposal) decoupled from global boundaries, is also critical. From Elinor Ostrom's strategies of common resource management and cooperation; Donella Meadows' recognition of the limits of economic expansionism on a planet with finite resources and understanding and adapting to complex systems (as opposed to simplifying and controlling them); Marjorie Kelly's examples of equitable value and wealth creation through the democratisation of business; Janine Beynus' biomimetic solutions to the design of our processes, products and services; to Kate Raworth's amalgamation of all the above ideas into a doughnut-shaped social and environmental framework, which seeks to provide a social framework that ensures decent conditions for the prosperity of everyone without overstepping the limits of the global systems that sustain life on earth.

In addition, measures to achieve gender parity in leadership positions include:

• Promoting laws and policies that encourage equal representation in the public and private environment (including gender quotas as measures that accelerate this goal).
• Energetically fostering cultural change in our institutions by putting community care (family, work, local, regional, etc.) at the centre, to eradicate gender-based harassment, discrimination and violence on the one hand, and to include parental leave policies and flexible working arrangements that help the equal sharing of workloads, implementing gender equality in organisations, on the other.
• Support feminist leadership, those who seek the integration of women to achieve gender parity in positions of power, particularly by supporting women leaders who inspire others to take up places in decision-making that concern us all.

This brief seeks to encourage diversity in leadership positions. It builds on the growing evidence that points to the importance of including more women in discussions and decision-making, who as individuals have the legitimacy to take part and perform to the best of their abilities. By not valuing women's skills and leadership, we forfeit valuable perspectives that are necessary to properly understand and address the social and environmental problems we face. This is a critical decade if we are to avoid the worst effects of climate change and the effective integration of women in political, economic and social life is essential to ensure that fair and equitable measures are taken to guarantee a sustainable future for everyone.

Note: While recognising the complexity of gender manifestations, this text adopts a simplified approach to examining differences in male and female leadership. The authors recognise the importance of gender diversity in all public and private areas and the need to eradicate discrimination to allow all people the freedom to express their sexuality and gender as a fundamental part of their human rights.