As a former journalist and media executive, I’ve almost had to give up watching, listening or reading news altogether. But tuning out is not the best response. It keeps us uninformed, misinformed, and on the sidelines. So I do my best each week to bring news and information forward that I hope encourages you, as it does me, to stay engaged, to stay in the search for solutions, and support actions that lead to solutions.  

So today, on World Environment Day, it’s a privilege to bring to your attention an action that has been taken by a small but mighty group of European women, with the support of women and men leaders from all over the world. Rather than sit on the sidelines and complain about the appointment of an oil and gas chief to lead the world's climate conference, COP 28, they drafted a letter and secured hundreds of signatures of world leaders, protesting his appointment and calling for a new leader, one with credibility and an authentic commitment to finding legitimate solutions to the global climate crisis.  

Below is the letter organized by She Changes Climate, an organization based in Switzerland, and just submitted to the UN. If you would like to add your name to the signatories, there is a link to do that at the end of the letter. COP 28 is a critical meeting of world leaders happening in December to take stock of their progress on pledges they made as part of the Paris Agreement. We already know they are behind on implementation and this meeting will be important for leaders to recommit to taking urgent action to keep the world under 1.5 degrees by 2030. 

This is an important time to stay involved and engaged, and informed, when there is an opportunity to take action to do our part even if it’s adding our name to a list of concerned citizens everywhere. I hope you will join me in taking action.

Women Declare Climate Emergency

A group of women leaders demand a firewall between the COP28 Presidency and the fossil fuel industry.

For many years, scientists have told us that it will be women and girls most impacted by climate change with studies showing they are 14 times more likely to die in climate disasters. That truth was brought home most dramatically last year when during the floods in Pakistan women and girls were left behind because they didn’t know how to swim, and they didn’t have access to the early warning system. Yet, women are also the solutions multipliers and the champions of resilience. They are the ones taking care of their children, families, elders, and their communities.

Yet women are not given a fair place at the table when it comes to deciding how we tackle these crises. In fact fossil fuel interests have more access than women. At last year’s talks, there were 600 declared fossil fuel lobbyists. Famously this year, the CEO of a fossil fuel company — Sultan Al-Jaber — has been appointed by the UAE to lead COP28 to the consternation of hundreds parliamentarians and civil society leaders.   

So far, the UAE — which is one of the biggest producers of oil and gas — hasn't shown signs of prioritizing action to address the impact of climate change on vulnerable people, especially women. Some are saying that the talks are heading for a car crash — instead of leading to address the emergency for people, climate and nature, we are instead also facing an emergency for the survival of the UN multilateral system and diplomacy.

The burning of fossil fuels is the cause of this crisis, yet not one of the 39 major oil and gas companies, with a collective market capitalization of USD 3.7 trillion, has adopted a business strategy that would limit global warming to safe levels. The total global oil and gas sector also boosted its profits to reach sky-level records of USD 4 trillion last year. 

We — as a group of leading women — ask for immediate action: we must stop investing in fossil fuels and urgently invest in women empowerment, resilience,  nature-based solutions, clean energy access for all and loss and damage compensation for the ones who suffer the most.

We need women leaders at all levels of decision-making to chair and drive COP28. When women are at the table, we achieve better results. This is true for peace talks as well as for climate negotiations.

The change needs to happen across all leadership tiers, and begins with the right people selected to lead COP. We need more than 50% of women at all levels of decision-making, starting with the COP28 Presidency team as well as for all country delegations. With gender balance, we have a better chance of adopting stronger climate decisions.

We urge the UAE Presidency to opt for a pioneering co-presidency model with a man and woman co-chairing COP28, and deliver a deal that has women empowerment at its core. As a country, the UAE must deliver a plan in line with 1.5°C to restore the trust. We also ask Al-Jaber to step down from his role as CEO of ADNOC. This is very important to ensure that fossil fuels interests are separated from the COP Presidency’s role. 

If climate is really his top priority, he needs to walk the talk, make a choice and put people and the planet first, before his business interests. That would send the powerful political signal that the world needs to trust the environmental integrity of the process.

If we are going to address climate change together, and not turn the climate talks into a fossil fuel convention, then let’s start by prioritizing leadership of those most impacted, not those who stand to benefit from the status quo. 

Mary Robinson - Former President of Ireland, the Elders

Princess Esmeralda of Belgium

Sandrine Dixson-Declève - Co-President of The Club of Rome

Hindou Ibrahim - President of the indigenous women & peoples association of Chad, Co-chair of the international indigenous peoples forum on climate change, COP28 advisory board

Hafsat Abiola - Nigerian human rights, civil rights and democracy activist

Pat Mitchell - Co-founder and Managing Partner, Connected Women Leaders. Editorial Director, TEDWomen.

Mamta Borgoyary - Chief Executive Officer of FXB India Suraksha

Elise Buckle - Co-Founder of SHE Changes Climate, CEO of Climate & Sustainability

Annemiek Hoogenboom - Former Country Director and MD Deutsche Postcode Lotterie

Bianca Pitt - Co-Founder of SHE Changes Climate

Antoinette Vermilye - Co-founder of the Gallifrey Foundation

Zoe Cohen - UK Master Coach and Just Stop Oil Concerned Citizen

Meagan Fallone - Founder of Step Up

Susan Marx - Director of the Human Rights Program at the Carter Centre

Isabel Saint Malo - Former Vice President of Panama

Sharon Gakii - Co-founder International Consortium on Climate and Biodiversity (ICCB) and SHE Changes Climate Kenya ambassador 

Janet Mrenica, FCPA, FCIPFA,  Ambassador, She Changes Climate, Ottawa, Canada

Zara-Grace Hussey - Youth Climate Strategist, MSc Global Challenges for Sustainability, Committee Member Women in Research Ireland, SHE Changes Climate Ireland Ambassador

Georgia Elliott-Smith, Former UNESCO Special Junior Envoy for Youth & Environment

Rima Khalaf - Former UN Under Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) 

Bettina Tucci Bartsiotas, former Assistant General/Controller of the United Nations

Flavia Pansieri, former Assistant Secretary-General/Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights 

Sophie Marple - Chair of The Climate Coalition, co-founder Gower Street climate foundation, Mothers Climate Action Network and Impatience Earth.  

Emma Howard Boyd CBE - Former Chair of Environment Agency, UK

Rachel Kyte - Dean The Fletcher School, Tufts University and former UN SRSG for Sustainable Energy for All. 

Karlee Schnyder - Co-Director Real Food Systems Youth Network 

Sarah Greenfield Clark MSc-  Co-Founder Climate 2025 & The Movements Trust

Sikorei Joshua Leshan - Organisation Oremit Community Organization Kenya

Fatma Abdul - Blue Earth Organisation Kenya

Roseline Isata Mansaray - Fridays for Future Sierra Leone

Alhassan Sesay - Sierra Leone School Green Club (SLSGC)

Precious Kalombwana - Friday for future Zambia

Sunday Berlioz Kakpo - SOS Biodiversity Benin

Jérémy Arusi - Friday for the future Goma

Hamira Kobusingye - Founder, Climate Justice Africa

Osprey Orielle Lake - Founder Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network

Elizabeth Sheehan - The Valerian Fund 

Akilah Jaramogi - Co Founder, Fondes Amandes Community Re Forestation Project (FACRP)

Ishraq Abdalla - Co-Founder & Fundraising and Partnerships Director Me and Youth, & Board of Youth at The Resilience Project

Mana Omar - Springs of the arid and semiarid lands (SASAL) Kenya

Benedicte Deryckere, Ambassador Solar Impulse Foundation, Lecturer strategic management & sustainable development

Rahmina Paullete Oyungi - Kisumu Environmental Champions & LetLakeVictoriaBreath

Mayssoun Bennani - co-founder of Dare Organization, Tunisia 

Frances Fox - Founder, Climate Live

Malebane Diana Poka - Climate Live, Lesotho

Christine Majeni - Founder Wiblue

Rukia Ahmed - Founder Green North Eastern Initiative & vice chairperson of Kenya Inter University Environmental Students Association 

Lydia Pius Leonard - Limitless Mind, Tanzania

Krishna Ariola - Youth for Climate Hope

Jeremiah Kutanya - Founder and Executive Director, Pastoralists Integrated Concerns (PICO), Kenya.

Amal Toumi - Fridays For Future, Tunisia

I hope you will join me in making climate justice personal and centering it in your work, activism, and community. You can begin by signing on to this letter and adding your name in the comments below.

Onwards!

- Pat