“I am No Man”: Women are the Solution to Climate Change

By Autumn Vandehey, Atmospheric Sciences ‘23

“I am no man,” declares Éowyn in the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy to the Witch-king after he declares that no man can kill him. He then proceeds to be defeated by a woman. A woman saved the day, and women will save the day again against an even more terrifying enemy than the Witch-king: climate change.

Women may well be the key to solving climate change. They are also disproportionately impacted by increasing natural disasters, flooding, and droughts. Studies have found that gender-based violence is more prevalent after natural emergencies, however, climate change does not equally affect all women. Women of marginalized groups living in rural and disaster-prone areas are most vulnerable to climate disasters. Climate policies are not actively addressing gender inequality issues and overlook the needs of women, such as carbon taxes increasing the prices of goods that women and their families depend on. The solution to climate inequity: women representation in climate policy, decision-making, and projects supporting sustainable solutions.

Women in Guinea village with their harvested moringa leaves, Photo credit: UN Women/Joe Saade

By embedding women in leadership roles, the climate crisis will be addressed more efficiently and justly. Research has shown that women are better in times of crisis than men, so they have the skills to tackle climate disasters. Indigenous women and women in the Global South hold traditional ecological knowledge that can provide natural environmental solutions. For example, rural women in a Guinea village are being supported by the UN Women's Fund for Gender Equality to plant vitamin-rich trees called Moringa. These women learned how to use solar technology to maintain and sell Moringa leaves all while promoting biodiversity, creating sustainable medicine, and reducing soil erosion in their village. In short, women can accomplish incredible things when empowered.

Zainab Salbi is one example of a woman taking on environmental issues, being named an “environmental hero” by One Earth. At 23, she founded Women for Women International to serve women survivors of wars which reached nearly half a million women, and raised 146 million dollars in aid and micro-loans to help them and their families rebuild their lives. Later in her career, Salbi launched “Daughters for Earth” to empower and support women-led climate projects. This organization is currently raising $100 million to fund women in restoration and regenerative action. Her philosophy is that anyone can make a difference and create solutions to heal the planet.

Salbi is a real-life example of Éowyn from the Lord of the Rings, and her work is making it so all women can be Éowyns standing up to the Witch-king. Maybe no man can stop climate change, but women definitely can.