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Women worldwide countervail

environmental crises

Irene Dankelman M.Sc.

Radboud University Nijmegen/WEDO

New Orleans, 10 February 2007

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Introduction

Your pain

Is the pain felt by women

worldwide.

Your carrying-capacity

and caring capacity resembles theirs.

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Contents

Short overview: women in action

What moves women?

Some theoretical reflections

Womens voices in environmentChallenges for the future.

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Short Overview

Three centuries ago: Amrita Devi, Bishnoi

community, Rajasthan, India: protection

trees.

Since 1974: Chipko movement,

India:protection forests +

livelihoods.

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Since 1980s:Narmada Bachao Andolan, India:

prevent dam construction.

1950s: Nakabaru/Sanroku

Womens Society,Japan:

protesting againstpollution industries and

powerplants.

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Africa

1977: Green Belt Movement, Kenya:

treeplanting + democratization.

1999: Niger Delta Women for

Justice, Nigeria:prevention exploitation by

oil companies.

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Eastern Europe - NICs

1990s: Aigul, Ural and Mama86, Ukrain

protest against (nuclear) pollution + for

healthy environment + democratization.

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Womens Leadership

Rachel Carson: Silent Spring (1962)

Donella Meadows:Limits to Growth

(1972)Bella Abzug:

US congress woman, founder WEDO

Gro Harlem Brundtland: OurCommon Future (1987)

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Womens Leadership

Rigoberta Menchu-Tum:

Nobel Peace Price, Guatemala

Maria Silva:

Minister Environment BrazilWangari Maathai:Nobel Peace Price,

founder Green Belt Movement.

Sarojeni Rengam:founderdirector

Pesticides-Action Network Asia-Pacific.

See: www.unep.orgWhos who: women in environment

http://www.unep.org/http://www.unep.org/

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WEDO

Womens Environment and DevelopmentOrganisation (www.wedo.org)

Programme areas: governance, economic justice,and sustainable development.

Womens Action Agendas 2000 and 2015.

Women do not want to be mainstreamed in apolluted stream, they want the stream to be cleanand healthy, Bella Abzug (1920-1998)

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What moves women?

Gender relationships: division of labour, tasks,responsibilities and rights> power-structures.

Daily interactions with the physical environment:determine environmental priorities and visions.

Environmental degradation: affects women directly:adding burdens of time, energy, bad health, lessopportunities.

Reproductive roles:

strong commitment

to the present and future

wellbeing of the family.

Environmental crises:

physical, mental and emotional drivers.

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Environmental Action

Organizing: common voice, decision-making

Resistance: protest movements

Research, monitoring, watch-dog

Information, publication, education (campaigns)

Lobby and advocacy

Regeneration activities

Developing and

promoting alternatives.

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Theoretical reflections:

women - environment.

Womens work (roles):Esther Boserup (1970),Geeta Menon (1991)

Ecofeminism: Carolyn Merchant: The Death ofNature (1980), Vandana Shiva (1988) a.o.

Critics: e.g. Braidotti, Agarwal a.o. (1994)

Feminist Political Ecology:

Dianne Rocheleau (1995)Feminist Environmentalism:

Bina Agarwal (1998)

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Womens voices in the

Environmental arena

Sustainable Development is

not possible without equity

(Lorena Aguilar, IUCN)

1985: Womens Conference Nairobi: environment is a

womens issue1992: Earth Summit (UNCED) Rio de Janeiro:Agenda

21 > reflects womens leadership in environment.

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..continuing..

1995: Womens Conference Beijing: Platformfor Action: women and environment (section K)

2002: World Summit on Sustainable

Development, Johannesburg:gender issues included

Environmental Organisations

(IUCN, UNEP, FOEI etc):

gender mainstreaming.

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FUTURE CHALLENGES:

educating women for a world in crisis

Education as empowerment.

Interdisciplinary holistic knowledge base:

intellectual and emotional:our lives in context.

Historical perspective.

Understanding interbeing.Role of men in environment

and sustainable development.

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Women as the Voice for the

Environment

We will continue the struggle for a peaceful, just andhealthy planet for all, in a spirit of full cooperationand global solidarity we call upon all concerned tostep up actionTogether, as agents of change, bound

together by our commitments to justice, equality andpeace, we can sustain our environment, and ourcommon future.

(WAVE Conference, Nairobi, October 2004)