International Women’s Day: Climate Action Takes True Gender Equity

Investing in women’s education and enterprises is a direct path towards greater sustainability — and might just save the world.

Everywhere I look, there are strong women leading the charge towards a more sustainable planet. From blockchain and cryptocurrency to cleantech and green energy, industries that have the power to build the kind of world can be proud of have women at the helm, leading organizations, companies, and centers of innovation.

It was so powerful to see that this year, the theme of International Women’s Day is Gender Equality for a Sustainable Tomorrow, because it’s clear to me — and backed by countless studies — that putting resources and influence in the hands of women is the critical path to meeting the increasingly urgent challenges of climate change.

There is no sustainability without gender equity. As investors, women are twice as likely as men to demand strong ESG values from the companies they invest in. In industry, increasing board and C-suite representation from women leads to accelerated adoption of renewable energy and clean technology.

In developing countries, where women’s ability to drive change is often limited by their gender, these benefits to the environment are magnified. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, compared to men, women practice more sustainable and productive agriculture and place a larger priority over the long-term health of their communities than short-term resource extraction.

Investing in women — in their education, careers, businesses, and organizations — is one of our strongest tools in the fight against climate change. However, in 2020, women-led startups received just 2.3% of VC funding in the US, and far more women than men lost employment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Around the world, women are still disproportionately deprived of access to financial services, government identities and business opportunities. When it comes to these gender gaps, especially for banking, many of them haven’t shifted since 2011. Not enough is being done to support financial inclusion, and it’s not just women who are suffering — it’s the entire future of our planet.

Despite the equally persistent gender divide in the technology sector, which has remained at less than 25% female representation for over a decade, disruptive innovation is showing promise at creating a more equitable society. At the Canadian Blockchain Association for Women, we’re seeing new access to opportunity through the digital economy, including as investors, entrepreneurs and creators, and many women, especially in law and finance, are discovering that blockchain can be a strong career accelerant and differentiator.

Gender and climate action are becoming increasingly interlinked. At GuildOne, we’ve recently launched ESG1, a division that leverages blockchain and tokenization to support a low carbon economy and social investing in underrepresented groups, and I’m proud that some incredibly accomplished and talented women have agreed to join our new board and guide our direction.

In primary economic sectors, like energy and resources, women are creating transformation through their participation in both cleantech and digital technologies. I’m excited to be speaking about gender equity in the energy sector — and how it can drive the kind of sustainable transformations the industry desperately needs — with two incredibly talented women at the ECN Digitalization in Oil and Gas conference here in Calgary at the end of April.

I’ll be joined by Anamika Mukherjee, the innovative head of technology development at Cenovus Energy, who has spent her career pioneering ways to help the industry pivot towards sustainability, and Koleya Karringten, executive director of the Canadian Blockchain Consortium, who has done so much to support education about the powerful social and environmental benefits of blockchain technologies.

Celebrating the achievements of women in sustainability is important, and the more we raise awareness and support prominent role models, the faster our climate progress will be. There isn’t a singular solution to our massive task of restructuring our society to prioritize values over profits — one that takes a long-term and holistic view of our impact on the world, with an economy that works for everyone — but empowering women, it’s becoming clear, should be the first step.

Learn more about International Women’s Day: https://www.internationalwomensday.com/