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Women and Climate Change Campaign

Why is the WI campaigning on climate change?
Climate change is one of the most serious threats facing humanity and will affect the lives of our children and grandchildren. We are at the tipping point; the last opportunity to change our habits and re-create a world in which future generations can live comfortably, and this concerns WI members as we feel that not enough is being done to reduce our impact on the planet. At this crucial time, local and international communities need to work together to ensure that everyone can reduce their carbon footprint and ecological footprint.
Women have a huge part to play in this, both in the UK and around the world. In the UK, women remain influential consumers of domestic products and utilities, providing them with the opportunity to choose greener and less polluting energy suppliers and appliances for example. Women are also still the primary educators of the next generation and therefore have huge power to change the way in which today's children think about their coexistence with the planet. In other countries, women are the guardians of natural resources; collecting food, water and fuel for their families. As well as some of the poorest global citizens women will be hit the hardest when the impacts of climate change are felt, as their position in society in many countries makes them less well equipped to deal with emergencies. As women in the UK, it is our duty to put climate change to the top of our agenda and bring about change for the better.
The campaign so far
The WI has run lots of projects which have sought to tackle members' impact on the climate, as well as raise awareness about the problems and the way they impact on women in other countries. In 2007, 10,000 of our members took a challenge to save 20% of their carbon emissions, saving the carbon equivalent to driving around the world 2,300 times. We have also run projects in our local communities, establishing Eco Teams to assist households in reducing their waste output. We have focused on reducing food waste through our Love Food Champions project and made sure that our members are aware of how climate change affects others across the world through the Women Reaching Women project.
WI joins The Wave!
WI members at The Wave - the UK's biggest ever demonstration against climate change
WI members from around the country came together in London to raise awareness about climate change and to call on the UK Government to push a robust, fair and fast deal at the UN climate change talks in Copenhagen. Stop Climate Chaos, the organisers of The Wave, estimated that there were over 40,000 people attending from organisations across the spectrum of civil society.
WI members hand in petition to Ed Miliband
Front of the WI's Women and Climate Change postcard
1500 members of the WI sent postcards to Ed Miliband, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, calling on the Government to take note of the role of gender in climate change. Members called on the Minister to raise the issue of how climate change will affect women differently to men at the Copenhagen climate change talks in December.
Sustrans hand in petition calling for safer cycling
Nine thousand people told Transport Minister Sadiq Khan on Tuesday 19 January that they want Britain’s roads to be safer to cycle on.
The petition – backed by organisations including Mind, the National Federation of Women’s Institutes, the Townswomen’s Guilds and Women in Rural Enterprise – was launched in September in response to research from Sustrans that showed a staggering 79 per cent of women in Britain never cycle at all.
Sustrans maintain a huge network of off-road cycle paths across the UK, meaning that for many of us we are never too far away from a safe place to cycle.  As part of your commitment to a lower-carbon lifestyle, why not see if your nearest safe route takes you past your local shop or place of work – see if you could ditch the car and use your bike instead!
You can find out more about the National Cycle Network and the work which Sustrans do by visiting their website: http://www.sustrans.org.uk
Prince's Rainforest Project
The WI are supporting the The Prince's Rainforests Project to help fight climate change by halting the depletion of the earth's rainforests.  WI members can add their name at www.rainforestSOS.org.
WI joins 10:10
10:10 is a mass movement that is signing up people and organisations from every corner of British life. From councils and hospitals to faith groups and scout troops, organisations across the country are deciding to get on board at the start of the journey to a low-carbon society.
RUTH BOND represented the NFWI at the September launch of the 10:10 campaign, a new national drive by individuals and organisations aimed at cutting their carbon emissions by 10 per cent during 2010. Organised by the makers of The Age of Stupid, a film about climate change, the launch brought together people from all walks of life to show a commitment to tackling the threat of climate change now. The 10:10 campaign is a chance for members to use their experience of the successful WI Carbon Challenge of 2007 to show others in the community how everyone can tackle climate change in their own homes. It's a chance to demonstrate how women, particularly, can make a difference at this vital time. For more information on getting involved, please visit www.1010uk.org 
Mili-Band around Kingsnorth power station
On 4 July 2009, a group of WI members joined over 1,000 people from across Britain to protest against new dirty coal.  The event was created by a coalition of organisations, from the NFWI, to Oxfam, the RSPB, the World Development Movement, the Woodcraft Folk, the National Union of Students and the local Kent branch of Campaign to Protect Rural England.  With the sun shining down, participants called on Ed Miliband, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, to protect our planet, think about the human impact of climate change and say no to new dirty coal. Kingsnorth in Kent is one of the sites of a proposed new generation of coal fired power stations which will not capture all their emissions.  Kingsnorth alone would generate 6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, the equivalent of the poorest 25 developing countries in the world!  If we are to protect the poorest citizens on our planet, we must say no to new coal which does not capture all its emissions.
Launch of the Women and Climate Change campaign – IF WE CAN DO IT, SO CAN YOU
On Monday 11 May, the NFWI launched the new Women and Climate Change campaign with a well attended Question Time style debate. Joan Ruddock MP, a minister from the Department for Energy and Climate Change, spoke at the event alongside Juliet Davenport from Good Energy, Adam Askew from Oxfam, Betty Moxon from the WI, and Lucy Siegle who chaired the event.
Members from around the country probed the panellists about their thoughts on the challenges and opportunities facing women in the fight to tackle climate change.

 

The key messages of our campaign are:

 

1.     Women across the world have a key role in tackling climate change as consumers, educators and "change agents" in our homes and communities, encouraging the adoption of lower carbon lifestyles and passing on green values to the next generation.

2.     At present, women are significantly under-represented in environmental decision-making in government, industry and the scientific community. Our importance in tackling the challenges is not matched by our representation.

3.     Globally, women are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to our different social roles and status. In the UK and other developed countries, increasing costs for energy, transport, healthcare, and nutrition are likely to affect women, especially single mothers, more than men.

Earth Hour 2009
On Saturday 28 March 2009, WIs around the country took part in Earth Hour, switching their lights off for an hour in a show of solidarity with an estimated one billion people around the world.  Whilst raising awareness about climate change, members brought together people from their community to mark the occasion and discuss the issues involved. East End WI held a picnic in St Barnabus church to mark the event, with acoustic music played by President Niki Stevens, a music quiz and an Earth cake lit up with candles. In Cambridge federation, a bring and share party was held in the eco-friendly federation office, with participants discussing various issues about climate change and the way it impacted on women's lives.
Upcoming events
Earth Hour 2010
On Saturday 27 March 2010 over 1 billion people from across the world are expected to turn their lights off for an hour starting at 8.30pm, to show their support for our planet.   See http://www.earthhour.org for full information.
Some ideas for the evening:

§          Have a candlelight dinner with friends and neighbours.

§          Ask a local attraction to hold a ‘lights out’ night or attend one which is already being hosted.

What you can do

1.   Green your home and lifestyle - a greener, brighter future starts at home. For tips on how to reduce your carbon footprint, look up our Carbon Challenge resources, as well as advice available from the organisations listed in the "related sites" box on the right hand side of this page.

2.   Write to your MP - tell them your concerns about climate change and ask them what they are doing to help tackle it. If they say they would like to do more to help, ask them to green their constituency office, ask a question in Parliament about whether we are doing enough to tackle run-away climate change, or ask them to get involved in local green initiatives

3.   Inform your community - hold public meetings, screenings of A World Without Jam or a 'cake and climate' stall in your local community to make information about tackling climate change available to all.

4.   Download the action pack from this website and get involved in the Women and Climate Change campaign. There are plenty of activities which you can encourage your WI, federation or local community to get involved with, so see how far you can spread the message. 

5.   Get hold of our campaign document If We Can Do It, So Can You and spread the word about our campaign. Leaflets on the campaign can be ordered from the Public Affairs Department.

 

Return to top of page and downloads.

 

Get involved in the campaign!

 

Would you like to pledge your support to the campaign? If so, become a supporter.

 

Would you like to be contacted directly to help with letter writing, petitions or postcard campaigns? If so, become a campaigner.

 

Would you like to be contacted directly to get involved in campaign actions such as visiting your MP to talk about the issues, taking part in local events such as days of action, or taking part in national events? If so, become an active campaigner.

 

Please contact us giving your name and telephone number, stating which of the above you would like to sign up to.