Women Leading on Climate, a coalition network founded by Catherine McKenna, and María Mendiluce, CEO of the We Mean Business Coalition, has called on leaders in attendance at COP29 to ‘step up’ and listen to the voices of women and girls around the world.
“Now more than ever, we need to hear the voices of women and girls demanding more urgent climate action,” said Catherine McKenna, Founder of Women Leading on Climate and CEO of Climate and Nature Solutions. “Women and girls have been leading on climate action and activism – in boardrooms, in negotiating rooms, in classrooms, on the streets, and in communities around the world.”
Women activists
The coalition, which was formed in September 2024, is rallying the voices of women activists worldwide, including Vanessa Nakate, Sophia Kianni, Nathalie Kelley, Arizona Muse, Aditi Mayer, Temilade Olanrewaju, Tori Tsui, Laurel Kivuyo, Mitzi Jonelle Tan, Priscila Tapajowara, and Farwiza Farhan, who collectively are calling for urgent, ambitious action from world leaders.
According to the coalition, women around the world are ‘rising to the challenge’ of climate change, with studies showing that women are 2.5 times more likely to engage on climate issues and 60% more likely to advocate for social good.
Research has also shown that businesses that boast more women in leadership roles are significantly more likely to implement climate initiatives.
‘Waiting is not an option’
“As women, we live the impacts of climate change every day—on our families, our communities, and our economies—and we know that waiting is not an option” said María Mendiluce, CEO of the We Mean Business Coalition. “Across the globe, women are rising, demanding stronger climate action, and proving what determined, united leadership can achieve. With this campaign, we challenge leaders to match our resolve with decisive, meaningful action.”
Or, as Jennifer Morgan, Germany’s state secretary and special envoy for international climate action, put it, “When women come together around a common purpose, we are unstoppable.”
The We Mean Business Coalition will host a Women Leading on Climate event and reception at the WMBC Business Pavilion in the Blue Zone on Tuesday 12 November at COP29. Read more here.
