Photo credit: iStock.com/Svetlana Shamshurina
As you might have heard, International Women’s Day was this week! We at Brighten hope you had a lovely Women’s Day and got to celebrate the women in your life. In respect to the women of the world, here is a brief look at the ways in which women are impacted by climate change and the importance of advocating for women rising to leadership roles in energy sectors and beyond.
According to the BBC, “the UN has highlighted the need for gender sensitive responses to the impacts of climate change, yet the average representation of women in national and global climate negotiating bodies is below 30%.” This means women are disproportionately affected by the outcomes of climate change, like war and displacement, but are not equally represented in leadership that could help them change their circumstances.
Working in the energy sector, we have a long way to go to reach gender equality in leadership roles. Only 6% of CEOs in energy in the US are women (one of them is our own Marine Schumann here at Brighten!) Now, more than ever, it’s vital to have women involved in all aspects of working against climate change. From roles like policy makers and community organizers, to solar contractors and green energy CEOs, the involvement of women will only improve the effectiveness of changes made to support women and society at large.
Issues like climate change are at the core of what we’re working to solve with our solar business here in Santa Barbara.
At Brighten Solar we’re proud to employ and be led by women. We are excited to continue to support the careers and involvement of women in solar, and work towards equality that can benefit women worldwide.