Bearing the Burden - the inequality of climate change‏

Yesterday women came together in Northern region to celebrate International Women's Day (8 March) to debate how climate change and the decisions being taken to tackle the environmental challenges the World faces disproportionaly impact more on women in society.

Clare Williams, Chair NTUC Women's Group, in her introduction explained this year it was important to think about how we can build on the work of the network, particularly the work in supporting women internationally, as well as tackling poverty in our own Region by understanding better, and developing priorites on the impact of climate change, and the impact of the decisions being taken on our behalf such as recently in Copenhagen.

We know from our links with women in Sierra Leone that it is a country rich in natural minerals however remains the one of the poorest countries in the World; and Colombia is seeing indigenous communities displaced in the pursuit of profit from natural resources by large multinational coporations. In all aspects the people who suffer the most from the policies being taken are the poorest, and the majority of these are women.

Environmental issues impact on economic and social structures which continue to consolidate inequality. We want today to think about how as women trade unionists we can engage in this important issue and raise it up our union's agenda, and also to make trade unions relevant to young people, and particularly encourage more young women to get join trade unions, and get involved in our campaigning work.

The meeting heard from Gemma Bone who was a delegate to the International Climate Change talks in Copenhagen on behalf of the UK Youth Climate Coalition. Gemma gave a thought provoking and inspiring presentation with a focus on young people's involvement in this crucial issue, and also how climate change disportionaly affects women.

According to the Women's Environmental Network 20 million of the 26 million currently estimated displaced people are women. Poor are more vulnerable to the impact of climate change and the women are often poorer, and dependent on agriculture for susistence to feed their families and also to generate income to survive economically.

Gemma also spoke passionately about how there is an urgency to make more signfiicant progress on tackling climate change, and young people feel this need acutely as their future is at stake.

It was interesting to hear about how women across the World are coming together to make a difference - women in Austrlia as part of the One Million Women campaign to get a million women to sign-up to reduce carbon emissions.

Please watch the following, and encourage others:
The Age of Stupid - http://www.ageofstupid.net/
The Yes Men Fix the World http://www.theyesmenfixtheworld.com/

The NTUC Women's Group will be prioritsing this area of work over the next year, and will be actively taking forward practical steps to raise awareness amongst our workplaces; link into our international work; and to ensure that inequalities are challenged both in the UK and around the World.