Activists with the Women and Gender Constituency march on the November 6th Global Day of Action in Glasgow, Scotland.
As the climate negotiations drew to a close in Glasgow—a COP marred by deep injustice and inaccessibility—feminists, frontline activists, and Indigenous Peoples from around the globe have expressed deep dismay and righteous anger over weak and potentially harmful outcomes.
In a press release from the Women and Gender Constituency, members criticized that while a handful of countries made pledges toward stronger gender-just climate action, the negotiations did not meet the scale of ambition required to address the crisis. In particular, Global North countries pushed back strongly against a key benchmark of progress for many vulnerable countries, refusing to provide critical finance for Loss and Damage. Additionally, members are deeply concerned with loopholes in the rules for a new carbon market system under the Paris Agreement—one that threatens to exacerbate risks for Indigenous Peoples and rural communities who face violence, land grabs, and human rights violations as a result of such schemes.
Read: Women and Gender Constituency | The Power is With Us: COP26 Fails People & Planet
“What we have seen in Glasgow was a parade of publicity and a failure on policy,” said Bridget Burns, Director of WEDO and Co-Focal Point of the Women and Gender Constituency. “To hear countries asking developing countries to be happy with ‘making a start’ on the issue of loss and damage—when so many are facing real and disastrous impacts right now—is a betrayal of global solidarity. As always, the bright spot is the power in people, and feminist organizing. A bolder, braver and even more committed movement for climate justice that is going to create the transformation we seek. People power, climate justice.”
For more detailed overviews on the outcomes at COP26, see below:
- IISD | Earth Negotiations Bulletin: Review of COP26
- Carbon Brief | Key outcomes agreed at the UN climate talks in Glasgow
As ever, the power for real change is with us.
Despite the limitations of the formal negotiations, feminist advocates continue to call for and create changes that pave the way toward a just and healthy world. Here are five ways we’re doing just that:
1: We’re growing our movement for #FeministClimateJustice.
During COP26, feminists from the WGC wore bright masks reading ‘feminist climate justice’—calling attention to and starting conversations on the links between climate justice and gender equality. The masks were shared with allies and negotiators who wore them during critical interventions, visibilizing the call for feminist climate justice far and wide. They also caught the attention of the media, and were featured in The Guardian, The Economist, a BBC explainer, and more.
2: We’re Making Our Feminist Demands Heard.
On November 6, at the Global Day of Action for Climate Justice, feminists took to the streets of Glasgow alongside over 250,000 people representing movements from around the world. Leading the march’s Feminist Bloc, we called on governments and decision-makers to take concrete action in line with our key, collective demands for climate justice.
3: We’re Challenging Deep Inequalities That Shut Out Frontline Voices.
On November 6, at the Global Day of Action for Climate Justice, feminists took to the streets of Glasgow alongside over 250,000 people representing movements from around the world. Leading the march’s Feminist Bloc, we called on governments and decision-makers to take concrete action in line with our key, collective demands for climate justice.
4: We’re Honoring Feminist Climate Solutions.
The Women and Gender Constituency celebrated its 6th annual Gender Just Climate Solutions awards, which uplift local and grassroots solutions to the climate crisis. This year’s incredible award winners included Imece (Turkey), Todos Juntos (Guatemala) and FUNDACIÓN PLURALES (Argentina), with a mention of honor to AIWC (India). Watch a recording of the event here.
5: We’re Bringing Our Solutions to Scale.
As part of our commitment to finance transformation and support grassroots feminist climate solutions, WEDO announced the first six winners selected for the pilot round of its new Gender-Just Climate Solutions Scale Fund. The Scale Fund was launched as one of WEDO’s core commitments during The Generation Equality Forum, with the goal of pooling resources from women’s rights organizations to provide a new stream of funding directly to local and grassroots groups.
More Analysis + Coverage from COP26
- The Guardian: Cop26 legitimacy questioned as groups excluded from crucial talks
- Washington Post: On gender day at U.N. climate talks, a call for action that empowers women and girls
- Dazed: The young women activists fighting to make COP26 more feminist
- The National: Activists hold ‘People’s Plenary’ in Cop26 hall as protests expected outside
- The Guardian: ‘A death sentence’: Indigenous climate activists denounce Cop26 deal
Photo credits, top to bottom: Lindsay Bigda/WEDO, Annabelle Avril/WECF, Annabelle Avril/WECF, APWLD, Annabelle Avril/WECF, WEDO.
