The country in flames and the historic drought in Brazil have made me think a lot this week about the direct impact of these environmental problems on people’s lives, especially women’s lives. Our actions certainly have the power to change the world, not only environmentally, but also politically, socially and economically. Yes, we are capable of changing what is wrong, retracing our steps, taking bold initiatives and leading the planet in new directions.
It’s no wonder that the United Nations has dedicated an entire section of the Sustainable Development Goals to women, an agenda of 17 goals and 169 targets to be achieved by 2030. For the UN, we need to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls; eliminate the violence that affects us in all spheres; value unpaid domestic work; ensure women’s effective participation and equal opportunities in political, economic and public life.
According to Marília Closs, a specialist in the subject, who holds a doctorate in political science from the UERJ and is an activist in the World March of Women, one of the most urgent obstacles to be overcome is inequality. Marília says that it is important to always note that there is an objective difference between what happens when women and men are in positions of power, not only in elective positions, but also in key positions in the civil service, trade unions and universities. There is a greater tendency for women to be progressive and to implement more effective public policies, even if they occupy fewer positions of power than men,” she points out.
Marília, who is also a project coordinator at Plataforma Cipó, a research institute dedicated to climate, sustainable development and international relations, points out that environmental issues, for example, affect men and women disproportionately. She explains that when it comes to the climate crisis, the impact is disproportionate because women emit less greenhouse gases, pollute less, degrade the environment less – this is a man’s world – but women feel these impacts more. When it rains and a community can’t withstand it, it’s women who are left to rebuild it.
Las mujeres son las que hacen todo el trabajo de cuidado que requiere una comunidad después de haber sido destruida. Y cuando Marília dice «trabajo», se refiere al mercado laboral, pero también al trabajo de cuidados que garantiza que, incluso cuando todo está destruido, habrá comida en la mesa, ropa que ponerse, una cama en la que dormir… «En resumen, son las mujeres las que lo garantizan todo», afirma.
Faced with the challenge of reversing the environmental crisis that affects us and threatens our future, there is no doubt that we women, even in conditions of inequality, can and must take charge of the situation. Women in power change lives. And that’s what we need right now.
Article written by Isa Colli, journalist and writer, and published on the website: https://odia.ig.com.br/opiniao/2024/09/6922437-crise-climatica-mulheres-no-poder-transformam-vidas.html
