Why Women Will Save the Planet

Why Women will Save the Planet is a product of Friends of the Earth’s three-year “Big Ideas” project, which asked the question: “Could women’s empowerment transform the chances of achieving environmental sustainability?”. The answer – an emphatic yes – is expressed through a collection of 26 articles by 33 women (predominantly UK-based but also from the USA, Kenya, Egypt, Somaliland, India and Madagascar). Drawing upon their experience and expertise in academia, politics and NGO development, the book illustrates opportunities for solutions and “demonstrates that women’s empowerment is essential to securing a healthy and safe environment in which people and nature can thrive” (page 1). It also highlights “the variety and complexity of interactions between women’s empowerment and environmental sustainability, and how these extend to all sectors of society” (page 2).

Although openly feminist, and despite the book’s assertive title, Friends of the Earth do acknowledge that it is not only women who will save the planet, but simply that discrimination against women must be tackled if we want to achieve sustainability. In the Introduction, Jenny Hawley synthesizes three clear findings from the book: (1) ensuring gender equality is essential in any field, including the environmental movement; (2) women’s empowerment is necessary for environmental sustainability; and (3) “gender equality is both a symptom and a cause of an unequal and environmentally damaging society” (page 9).

Reading this book helps to explore the breadth and depth of issues found within this topic of gender equality and the environment. The range of issues its contributors present include UN agreements and ideas of a green economy (by Diane Elson); Women and forest restoration (by Wanjira Maathai); Empowering women through media (by Yvonne Orengo); Reinventing gender-balanced economics (by Julie Nelson); The role of fashion to bring about change (by Anna Fitzpatrick); Empowerment through sustainable agriculture (by Quinn Bernier and others); Gender assessment of adaptation programmes (by Nathalie Holvoet and Liesbeth Inberg); Women, conflict and the environment (by Shukri Bandare and Fatima Jibrell); Sexual and reproductive health (by Sarah Fisher); Gender balance in the renewable energy sector (by Juliet Davenport); and Women’s empowerment in 19^th-century British politics (by Sarah Richardson).

In short, the book advocates for gender equality and asserts that by enabling women we will concomitantly increase our chances of addressing environmental issues. The application of this is far from simplistic. It is diverse and permeates (as shown above) a vast range of issues and fields. As such this book is relevant to a wide audience (arguably everyone): to inform our understanding of discrimination against women, and to provide inspiring insight and encouragement into opportunities for achieving not only gender equality but environmental sustainability too.

Book note prepared by Hannah Keren Lee