African and Indigenous Women Voices Essential for Climate Action

Dec 16, 2022 | Radia Mbengue and Chantal Bilulu
View Original

The climate crisis is caused primarily by the burning of fossil fuels. Yet some of the key culprits — oil and gas — were glaringly absent from the final agreement of the UN’s 27th climate conference held in Sharm el-Sheikh in November. Gender and racial equity were also missing at COP27. This isn’t a coincidence.

The lack of gender equity at climate COPs is not new. A report by the Women’s Environment and Development Organization highlights that just last year in Glasgow, women led only 13 per cent of national delegations and comprised 38 per cent of national delegation totals.

Sharm el-Sheikh was no different. Of the 110 world leaders who attended, only seven were women. However, gender is not the only factor at play. While young African female activists struggled to be accredited at the so-called #AfricanCOP, 636 representatives from the fossil fuel industry were welcomed.