Key Impact Points:
- Twelve influential women highlight crucial strategies for addressing climate change.
- Gender equality and climate action face increased opposition from new U.S. leadership.
- Female leadership is critical for innovative, inclusive, and resilient climate solutions.
A Challenging Environment
International Women’s Day 2025 arrives at a challenging moment for gender equality and climate action. The Trump administration’s recent stance has intensified obstacles, cutting back support for diversity initiatives and withdrawing from international climate commitments.
Mafalda Duarte, executive director of the Green Climate Fund, emphasizes the essential role of women in climate strategy:
“We need more women at the table – not as a symbolic gesture, not to check a box, but as a mission-critical strategy for success.”
Women at the Forefront of Climate Action
Despite these setbacks, the 2025 Reuters Events Trailblazing Women in Climate List highlights the critical leadership roles women are playing in addressing global climate challenges.
Inger Andersen, executive director at the UN Environment Programme, highlights the urgency and role of women:
“Women are at the forefront of action, innovative solutions, and a movement pushing to fight inequalities that the climate crisis is exacerbating. Yet the gender inequality gap continues to slow progress when we have no time to waste.”
Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland, underscores the power of collective resilience and action:
“Like the dandelion, we must be persistent, resilient, and impossible to ignore. We need to keep springing up everywhere, a useful nuisance!”
Climate Action through Diversity and Persistence
Eliane Ubalijoro, CEO of CIFOR-ICRAF, stresses long-term impacts:
“Nurturing small actions, like planting trees, can lead to impacts felt for generations. I hope we can be the ancestors future generations look back to with gratitude.”
Vaishali Nigam Nigam Sinha of CIFOR highlights strategic opportunities amid adversity:
“By uniting our voices, we amplify collective power. Climate justice believers are not a fringe movement, but the global majority.”
Abigail Ross Hopper, CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, remains optimistic about progress in solar despite policy challenges:
“Every deal we close, every facility we bring online, and every new partnership we forge is proof that progress is happening.”
Indigenous Wisdom and Community Solutions
Melina Laboucan-Massimo, founder of Sacred Earth, finds hope within community-led solutions:
“I find hope in the Indigenous women building climate solutions that are fair, just, and equitable.”
Anna Laboucan-Massimo and Anna Ubalijoro underline the need for tangible community engagement in tackling climate anxiety:
“Navigating this hugely complex landscape of engagement is challenging, but necessary.”
Looking Ahead to COP30
With the upcoming COP30 in Belem, Brazil, female leaders stress immediate and inclusive action as critical to meaningful progress:
“The climate crisis is urgent and demands immediate action,” insists Abigail Ross Hopper.
These women exemplify resilience, vision, and dedication, proving that diverse leadership is vital in navigating the global climate crisis.
