Who’s still missing?

Last year, we asked who's missing? from the traditional family photo of world leaders at COP26. After our warmest year on record, fires raging through the summer, it appears little has changed.  

At COP27, out of 110 global leaders, just 10 were women. This trend permeates all levels. BBC analysis across delegation teams found that less than 34 per cent of country negotiation staff were female. Some teams were more than 90 per cent male. 

The climate action gap has widened. If we recognised the role of women as changemakers, we could speed up the race to net zero. According to Oliver Wyman,  more than a fifth of major corporations have pledged to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Yet few actively include or consider women in their climate action decisions and plans. 

Women’s leadership is crucial in tackling climate change. Men are overrepresented on constituted bodies and government delegations, yet on Monday, a new report from ActionAid revealed that women and girls face increased and specific risks as the climate crisis worsens. 

The UN has estimated that 80 per cent of people displaced by climate change are women. We need equal and meaningful representation and participation to achieve our climate goals. 

We can do better. We can make 2023 the year that gender equality and women’s leadership is integral, and not an afterthought, when drafting climate policy. 

Women are more active and effective agents on climate change. Historically, women have passed on and developed knowledge and skills related to water harvesting and storage, food preservation and rationing, and natural resource management. Now we need to involve in the development of technologies and policies too. 

With a global recession and record inflation impacting everyone, the danger is women and the climate fall further down the priority list for governments and business. If we let this happen, we will be asking who is still missing at COP28  

Climate change is not gender neutral; gender neutral is gender ignorant.