Watch EarthxWomen Climate Justice Panel

How are women and girls leading towards the global RESET of policies, politics, global agreements and human behavior that can emerge from this time of contagion and confusion?

I had the honor of moderating the Climate Justice Panel at last week’s EarthXWomen conference. A brilliant group of women leaders joined us virtually from around the globe to talk about climate change and climate justice in the time of COVID-19.

These are women and girls leading from the frontlines of the climate crisis, some from the most vulnerable communities, stepping up to and leading us forward towards a more just and sustainable future. I hope you’ll watch this important conversation and read more about these incredible leaders below.

Panelists

Featured

V (formerly Eve Ensler)

Playwright/Activist – Best selling author

Playwright, activist, and best selling author of The Vagina Monologues, In the Body of the World and The Apology, she is also founder of two global movements to end violence against women and girls: VDAY and One Billion Rising.

Mary Robinson

Chair of the Elders, brought together by Nelson Mandela, former President of Ireland, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights & Climate Envoy. Co-host of the Podcast, Mothers of Invention.

Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim

Climate Activist & National Geographic Explorer

Leader and founder of indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad; member of the UN’s Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change; UN SDG Advocate, Conservation International Senior Fellow and Pritzker Environmental Genius Award Recipient.

Dr. Katharine Wilkinson

Lead writer of Drawdown, the New York Times bestseller about climate solutions, and its sequel, The Drawdown Review. Her forthcoming book is a co-edited collection of writings by women climate leaders — All We Can Save.

Tara Houska

Tara Houska (Couchiching First Nation Anishinaabe) is a tribal attorney, founder of Giniw Collective, and a former advisor on Native American affairs to Bernie Sanders. She spent six months on the frontlines fighting the Dakota Access Pipeline, and is currently engaged in the movement to defund fossil fuels and stop Enbridge’s Line 3 tar sands pipeline. Tara is a co-founder of Not Your Mascots, a non-profit committed to eradicating Native stereotyping. She lives in a pipeline resistance camp in northern Minnesota.

Laura Turner Seydel

An international environmental advocate and eco-living expert dedicated to creating a healthy and sustainable future for our children. She serves as a Director for the Turner Foundation, Chairperson of the Captain Planet Foundation, Co-Founder of Mothers and Others for Clean Air, Board member of Children & Nature Network, LCV, EWG, Waterkeeper Alliance, Project Drawdown and the Nuclear Threat Initiative.

Tokata Iron Eyes

Tokata (Future) Iron Eyes is a member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe and has been confronting injustice since she was 9 years old testifying against a uranium mine in the sacred Black Hills. Now at 16, she continues to demonstrate her commitment to compelling the world to listen to Indigenous Nations— from the NODAPL movement at Standing Rock to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women across the US— she understands the power of media and utilizes her voice to evoke change in complacent hearts. She travels all over the world lifting the collective consciousness in response to the human caused climate crisis.

Xiye Bastida

Xiye is a Mexican-Chilean climate activist and member of the indigenous Mexican Otomi-Toltec nation. She is one of the major organizers of Fridays for Future New York City and has been a leading voice for indigenous and immigrant visibility in climate activism. She is on the administration committee of the People’s Climate Movement and a member of Sunrise Movement and Extinction Rebellion.

Jane Fonda

Jane Fonda is a renowned American actress, political activist, former fashion model and lifetime advocate for women and environmental issues. In 2005, along with others she co-founded the Women’s Media Center, an organization that works to amplify the voices of women in the media through advocacy, media and leadership training, and the creation of original content. Fonda currently serves on the board of the organization and continues to be a prominent voice for women and the environment.

Jess Search

Founder of Doc Society and Climate Story Lab, Trustee of Marie Stokes International

I’ll be writing a summary blog post about this conversation, and the thoughts and ideas resulting from it, in the days ahead. These are vital conversations that need happen now as we plan for the future we’d like to see in the post-COVID future. Please let me know your thoughts in the comments and please share with friends.

Stay safe,

— Pat