Tag: Gender equality

Events, Webinars, Advocate

It’s 2022 – what will we do?

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Time to get off the beach and back into action!

Happy New Year! The summer break is becoming a distant memory, and now is the time to focus on the year ahead.

This year, there are many opportunities to share the messages around Zonta Says NOW to gender equality and climate action. Here are two that you can start planning for today!

International Women’s Day (IWD) – 8 March

The UN women’s IWD theme for 2022 is Changing Climates: Equality today for a sustainable tomorrow. The theme recognises the contribution of women and girls working to change the climate of gender equality and build a sustainable future.

On Friday, 4 March 2022, UN Women Australia will be hosting five live events concurrently in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, and a live stream virtual event. These will all include a virtual interview with the indomitable Jane Goodall, so join online or in person if you can.

Many Zonta clubs are holding IWD events, so please support them too.

Zonta Says NOW and the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) 66th Session – 14 to 25 March

The CSW is the most significant global policy-making body dedicated exclusively to promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment.

This year’s priority theme is Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls in the context of climate change, environmental and disaster risk reduction policies and programmes.

Zontians from District 23 and the USA Caucus submitted a proposal to present a session on Zonta Says NOW in the NGO CSW/NY parallel event.

We have just heard that the proposal has been accepted! Our session will be from 8.00 am to 9.30 am on Tuesday 15 March EST – that’s New York time.

So please mark your calendars for 15 March from 8.00 pm to 9.30 pm in Western Australia, 10.30 pm to 12 am in South Australia, and 11 pm to 12.30 am in Victoria and Tasmania. Please share the save the date flyer below.

20220118 zonta says now flyer for CSW – AustraliaDownload

The free session will be on Zoom, and we’ll circulate registration details, program etc., when they are confirmed.

2022 – Bring it on!

solar panels on roof
Events, Advocate

Congratulations to Margaret Hender – walking the talk of climate action

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Congratulations to Margaret Hender, founder of CORENA and winner of the ZC Melbourne on Yarra’s Women Taking Climate Action Award 2021

The winner of the Zonta Club of Melbourne on Yarra‘s pilot Women Taking Climate Action Award 2021 is Margaret Hender from South Australia.

Margaret is the creator of CORENA (Citizens Own Renewable Energy Network Australia) – Australia’s first solar revolving fund.   The idea of CORENA was conceived when Margaret was on the ‘walk for solar’ from Port Augusta to Adelaide in 2012.

What is a revolving fund? CORENA uses donations to provide interest-free loans to small not-for-profit organisations to install solar, invest in energy efficiency, get off gas, or purchase electric vehicles.  Repayments are used to fund further projects. 

So far, CORENA has successfully loaned $800,000 to fund 44 projects, generating almost $200,000 in savings for the not-for-profits. CORENA loans have helped many child care centres, specialist schools, housing associations for the disabled and community resource centres throughout Australia.

Many women involved in not-for-profit organisations are daunted making investment decisions related to energy – which is still a very male-dominated industry. CORENA’s key positions are all held by women and they are able to offer independent technical advice and support.

The pilot Women Taking Climate Action Award was developed by the Zonta Club of Melbourne-on-Yarra to acknowledge women who are taking innovative climate action that engages with women.

Funding for the $1,000 award was raised through a Climate Action webinar with inspirational guest speaker, Natalie Isaacs, the CEO of 1 Million Women.

The Award was open to any woman living in District 23 (Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, Northern Territory and Western Australia). The judges were Suzanne Lees and Dr Jasmine Schuijers from the Zonta Club of Melbourne on Yarra and Carole Theobald from the Zonta Club of Perth who is the convenor of Zonta Says NOW to Gender Equality and Climate Action.

Competition for the award was very strong and judging was complicated by the diverse range of activities and experience levels of applicants. Applicants will be invited to speak at club and Zonta Says NOW meetings to share their work and passion. Knowledge gained from the pilot will be valuable to review the criteria for future years.

If you and/or your Zonta Club is interested in becoming involved with Zonta Says NOW, and/or supporting the Climate Action Award, please contact Carole Theobald via  zontasaysnow@gmail.com.

Advocate, add voice

Mass Mailout for Climate

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Thousands of people around Australia have not given up on the Climate Change Bills. A concerted effort is underway to get them reintroduced into Parliament.

The recent IPCC report showed we are in a climate emergency. We must achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 to have any chance of preventing runaway global warming. Are you worried and don’t know what to do?

A Different Approach Community (ADAC) has been writing 227 letters a month to all Federal parliamentarians since 2019, asking for urgent action on climate change. They have devised this ingenious Mass Mailout for Climate campaign and have asked community groups to send letters to their MPs:

Throughout September, an expected 30,000 letters will be collected in a post office locked bag in Canberra and delivered to independent parliamentarian Zali Steggall at a media photoshoot event in October.

Visit the Mass Mailout for Climate website to view videos of Zali Steggall describing the campaign, get instructions on where to send your letters and some ideas to get your creative juices flowing!

UPDATE: The pandemic stopped the letters being presented, but follow progress on the Mass Mailout for Climate Website.

Advocate

Climate Act Now

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If the world does not act now, and forcefully, the catastrophic effects of climate change will be far greater than the current pandemic

Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General

In its Statement on Climate Change, Zonta International affirms that climate change requires swift and decisive actions and the time for such actions is now.

Please write to your MP asking them to support the Climate Change Bill that is working its way through Parliament.

Let your MP know your views on this important climate legislation. Remind them that climate change threatens human rights, such as right to life, food, water, health, education livelihood and safety.

Ask them to uphold the principles of climate justice agreed to in the Paris Agreement and ensure that the most marginalized groups do not bear the brunt of the climate crisis.

Australia is a signatory to the Paris Agreement. However, according to the Climate Action Tracker,

  • Australia has not implemented an effective climate policy.
  • The Australian government has initiated a gas-led recovery rather than a green recovery, and has continued to signal its support for the coal industry. 
  • The government has shown no intention of updating its Paris Agreement target nor adopting a net-zero emissions target, with the Prime Minister specifically ruling this out.
  • Renewable energy investments have dropped to 2017 levels due to the uncertainty in government policy direction.
  • There is a lack of climate action, despite rising climate impacts such as the catastrophic bushfires that enveloped several states in late 2019 and early 2020.

For the last six months the Climate Change Bill has been working its way through the Federal Parliament. The Bill was introduced by independent MP, Zali Steggall. The Bill is currently with the Environment and Energy Committee that is expected to report in June on the public consultation process that took place between January and March.

For the Bill to be debated in parliament, either:

a) the government must agree that a debate should take place, or 

b) a majority of MPs in the House of Representatives must support what is called a “suspension of standing orders” to pause planned business and debate the Bill. For this to happen, at least two coalition MPs will need to vote in favour of a debate.  

Please use the links on the Climate Act Now website to email your MP, the Prime Minister and the Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister.

Now is the time to add your voice and stand up for a gender equal, sustainable future!

Advocate

Zonta International Statement on Climate Change – A Gender Equality Issue

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Zonta International’s Statement on Climate Change is a call to action for members around the world.

Zonta International Statement on Climate ChangeDownload

The statement clearly outlines the case of climate change being a gender equality issue and highlights the following key actions.

Zonta International:

  • Asks governments that have not yet signed the Paris Agreement to sign the Paris Agreement.
  • Asks governments who signed the Paris Agreement to actively take into account human rights, gender equality and empowerment of women and girls in defining and implementing their national climate action plans, including gender-responsive measures that are more effective and respectful of human rights.
  • Calls for governments and policymakers to uphold the principles of climate justice agreed to in the Paris Agreement and ensure that the most marginalized groups do not bear the brunt of the climate crisis.
  • Calls on Governments to set up more gender-balanced governing bodies to integrate gender-sensitive climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning, as per SDG 13.2 and the Paris Agreement.
  • Calls on Governments to arrange education for girls and support girls’ access to education.
  • Calls on Governments to include basic education on climate change and its consequences to nature and societies for all students, recognizing and addressing the social and economic factors aggravated by climate change (as per SDG13.3.1).
  • Calls on Governments to ensure that climate adaptation and mitigation plans address the unique needs of women and the barriers to women’s full participation in the economy, including:
    • Childcare and elder-care services.
    • Occupational segregation.
    • Informal work.
    • The gender pay gap.
    • Legal and social restrictions.
  • Calls on Governments to include women in the formation of disaster preparedness and response plans. These plans should:
    • Recognize the unique needs of women and girls.
    • Prioritize their health and safety.
    • Include responses to gender-based violence.

Zonta International calls on its members to:

  • Increase their own awareness of climate change and on its gender-related consequences and raise awareness locally.
  • Include gendered climate change advocacy actions in their advocacy plans.
  • Support the inclusion of women at the national and local tables of decision-makers on environmental sustainability.
  • Promote girls’ education and the inclusion of climate literacy in schools, as well as to promote girls’ science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) studies to increase gendered scientific and technical contributions to climate change mitigation.
  • Advocate for national policies that take into account women’s economic opportunities and ensures their full and equal participation in the economy.

The climate is changing and we need to change too.

Zonta Says NOW will develop tools to help members and supporters implement these actions.

Facts, Article

Gender, Climate, and Parliament

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Did you know that the four most climate-resilient countries in the world are led by women? They are Norway, New Zealand, Finland and Denmark and congratulations go to their Prime Ministers Erna Solberg, Jacinda Adern, Sanna Marin and Mette Frederiksen on their nation’s achievements. Interestingly, the proportion of women in all of their parliaments is above 40%.

In contrast, the four least climate-resilient countries are led by men and have much lower numbers of women in their parliaments: Eritrea (22% women in parliament), Central African Republic (9%), Somalia (24%) and Chad (15%).

To give humanity the best chance of surviving the climate crisis, we need more women around decision-making tables in community groups, workplaces, and all levels of government.

How does Australia fare?

There are 16.7 million people on our nation’s electoral roll, and 51% of them are women. Australia’s Federal Parliament consists of 227 members, 86 of whom are women (38%). Women make up 51% of the Senate and 31% of the House of Representatives. Currently, there are 6 women in the 22-member decision-making Cabinet (27%).

Recent events in Parliament House will not help to make politics an attractive career choice for women. However, to get fairer representation, we must support more women to take on leadership roles at all levels of society and government.

Here are a few of the ways that you can help women take on leadership roles.

  • Acknowledge young girls for their leadership potential (replacing the language of bossiness with leadership).
  • Encourage young women to be informed and share their views openly and confidently.
  • Mentor women in your workplace, so they are prepared for leadership positions.
  • Champion women in their careers.
  • Learn how, through following a leader, you can create a movement.
Facts

Starting Conversations

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Do you find it hard to start a conversation about climate change? Here are a couple of facts that may help break the ice. Did you know that:

  • Renewables represented 21% of Australia’s total electricity generation in 2019.
  • China has more than 400,000 electric buses, about 99% of the world’s total.
  • In the last 30 years, the UK has grown its economy by 75% while cutting emissions by 43%.
  • In Australia, in the last 30 years, energy emissions have increased by 48%.
  • The European Union has decided to cut its emissions by at least 55 per cent by the end of this decade.
  • Carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere for between 300 and 1,000 years.
  • Climate Analytics points out that: When emissions from Australia’s current coal, oil and gas exports (3.6% of global total) are added to domestic emissions (1.4% of global total), Australia’s contribution to the global climate pollution footprint is already about 5%. That’s equivalent to Russia’s total greenhouse gas emissions, the world’s fifth-biggest carbon dioxide emitter.

However, Australia is also at the forefront of producing renewable energy at a massive scale:

  • The Sun Cable solar farm in the Northern Territories will cover 150 square kilometres and require 22 million solar panels and a power line to supply electricity all the way to Singapore.
  • The Oakajee Strategic Industrial Area (465km north of Perth) is planned to produce and export renewable hydrogen and will have up to 1,250MW of solar and 270MW of wind generation. (For comparison, WA’s largest coal power station generates about 854MW.)
  • And the BIG ONE – The Asia Renewable Energy Hub in WA (wind and solar) will be built across 6,500 square kilometres in the Pilbara region and produce 15,000MW and up to 26,000MW in the long term.

We may have a huge climate problem, but we also have some fantastic climate solutions! Check out how climate relates to gender equality at ZontaSaysNOW.

Reduce Emissions, Facts

Passing Gas: Why renewables are the future

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Have you seen this latest report from the Climate Council? It reveals the extent to which gas is driving climate change – and it is likely to be worse than official figures suggest.

The Climate Council is Australia’s leading climate change communications organisation. It is made up of some of the country’s leading climate scientists, health, renewable energy and policy experts.

Download the report here

Events, Webinars, add voice

Love Earth Festival – Zooming in on the Highlights

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One Million Women know how to put on a show, even in a pandemic! This year’s LoveEarth Festival on 5 December was enjoyed by hundreds of women and men around the world – all on Zoom.

Hosted by Natalie Isaacs, the founder of 1MW and lively co-host Bernie Hobbs, the award-winning science writer and broadcaster with the ABC – this event had it all: connection with country, mind, heart and soul.

Highlights for me:

  • Auntie Bea Ballangarry’s welcome to country that prompted spontaneous acknowledgement of country around the world via the chat line
  • Alice Skye a young first nations singer-songwriter who nailed singing live on Zoom
  • Christiana Figueres, who led the historic Paris Agreement, and made me ferociously optimistic – I enjoyed the line ‘men created climate change, women are going to solve it‘,  (even though I knew it wasn’t entirely accurate!)
  • Paul Kelly’s song, Sleep Australia Sleep, got me Googling the lyrics as I was so touched by his words. (Think animal kingdoms…)

Sleep my country sleep, as off the cliff, the kingdoms leap, count them as they pass on by.  Our children might know them, but their children will not, we won’t know ’til it’s gone all the glory we’ve got.

Just like the boiling frog, as we go, we won’t feel a thing…

Paul Kelly from Sleep Australia Sleep
  • Craig Reucassel, the ABC TV climate crusader, who stressed the importance of taking on one new action at a time and making it a habit before taking on another action
  • Kathy Jetnei-Kijner a young poet who lives in the Marshall Islands that are only 2m above sea level and will be one of the first nations lost to rising sea levels. She read a poem she had written for her daughter to give her hope. I lost it with the line ”They’re marching for you baby…”
  • Missy Higgins singing ‘Going North’ and sharing how living in Broome in the north of Western Australia taught her that we are all part of the land – we are not separate from it
  • Margaret Kein Salamon a climate psychologist from New York who urged us to be non-judgemental, to talk about the climate emergency from a personal perspective. Don’t be scared to say how you feel. This prompted a flood of sharing on the chat line that was very moving. There are a lot of worried, angry, frustrated and frightened people out there – and also a lot who are motivated, optimistic and empowered to take action!
  • Mary Robinson – yes the first woman president of Ireland and climate champion. Such a wise, inspiring woman who urged us to take three steps  [In Step Two, I mentally inserted Zonta Says Now!]:

Step One: We must take the climate crisis personally and make it our own issue. 

Step Two: We must get angry and be active about those who are not doing enough – join an organisation

Step Three: Imagine the world we are hurrying towards; new jobs, new opportunities and make it a just transition.  Don’t neglect those who helped build the economies

Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and climate champion
  • Yes, I was so inspired by Mary’s words, that I rapidly wrote down more of them!

Women globally have woken up to the fact that we have to be there at the table. 

There has to be parity of decision making. We need women to be half of the cabinet, half of the board in business.  We need women to be involved at every level – we need their voices.  

Yes, I say to all women globally, this is our time, our century and we must step up and take that responsibility… We must walk tall, take our place and make it the century where women’s leadership will lead us forward.

Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and climate champion
  • Uncle Kev Carmody, acclaimed singer-songwriter, rounded out the event with his haunting rendition of Earth Mother’s woman child.

Throughout the event Natalie and Bernie kept the virtual event personal, feeding off the comments in the chat line. One Million Women are doing some great work and their new initiative is the Marketplace where they showcase a range of sustainable products – check it out.

My verdict? A thoroughly enjoyable, educational and moving morning. Congratulations to the One Million Women team for putting it together!