Defending land and community: women on the frontlines of climate justice
…Women comprise the majority of the world’s poor and experience systemic marginalization, discrimination, and violence. This makes them particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change and environmental degradation. When they mobilize for environmental rights, they face myriad obstacles, both because of their activism and because they are women…One of the key ways they are responding to the challenge of climate change is by mobilizing for the land rights of their communities, which not only helps achieve sustainable development but has also been found to reduce CO2 emissions. The following stories highlight some of the struggles and solutions proposed by grassroots women environmental activists… [H]undreds of women environmental activists have been jailed, have been defamed as threats to “national security,” or have suffered discrimination and violence... Their stories must inform the policies we push our leaders to adopt, so that…we can shift from merely discussing to truly practicing land justice...