FEMINIST AND ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERS, INCLUDING NATALIE BENNETT, TO OUTLINE HOW BOTH MOVEMENTS NEED TO WORK TOGETHER IN A NEW SERIES OF CAMPAIGNING EVENTS

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Feminist and environmental leaders, including Natalie Bennett, to outline how both movements need to work together in a new series of campaigning events

• Women’s Environmental Network (WEN) to launch The WEN Forum at London School of Economics in January 2017: feminism and the environment in conversation.
• Speakers: Natalie Bennett, Craig Bennett (CEO, Friends of the Earth), Lucy Bushill-Matthews (CEO, Muslim Action for Development and the Environment), Marylyn Haines Evans (Public Affairs Chair, National Federation of Women’s Institutes), Belinda Phipps (Chair of The Fawcett Society), Judy Ling Wong (President, Black Environment Network) and Kate Metcalf (Co-Director, Women’s Environmental Network). Chaired by Maria Adebowale-Schwarte.
• The WEN Forum will put Women and the Environment back on the agenda.
• Gender equality and environmental sustainability need to be tackled together to be effective.
• Climate change is not gender neutral – globally women are more affected by climate change, have contributed less to it and are not equally involved in decisions and solutions to tackle it.
• Unequal social roles and status between women and men are the root causes of these gendered impacts.
• Women under-represented in environmental decision-making globally and in the UK. At all levels – local, regional, national and international.
• World Energy Council – council secretaries: 18% women, 82 % men, council chairs: 4% women and 96% men. (Environment and Gender Index)
• Heads of National Environmental Sector Ministries – 12% women and 88% men. (Environment and Gender Index)
• UN Special Envoy Mary Robinson said ‘when it is a male world you have male priorities.’

PRESS RELEASE – For Immediate Release

FEMINIST AND ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERS, INCLUDING NATALIE BENNETT, TO OUTLINE HOW BOTH MOVEMENTS NEED TO WORK TOGETHER IN A NEW SERIES OF CAMPAIGNING EVENTS

The WEN Forum, is set to put Women and the Environment firmly on the agenda. Launching at the London School of Economics on January 26^th 2017, a new series of events will kick off with ‘What’s feminism got to do with the environment?’ featuring keynote speaker Natalie Bennett (Former Party Leader of The Green Party of England and Wales) and other leading figures, collectively exploring how the feminist and environmental movements can work together to engender equality and environmental sustainability.

This forum could not be more timely, with Brexit and the forthcoming Trump presidency. As Caroline Lucas, Co-Leader of the Green Party and Ambassador for Women’s Environmental Network (WEN) explained, “I know that women in the US, and people of colour, migrants, LGBT people and many others fear for the future of their country. Indeed, Trump’s election is a painful reminder of the deep prejudice that remains in our societies. For those of us who are concerned about climate change – and that should be every single one of us – Trump’s election is a potential hammer blow to the work we’ve been doing – and it is likely to affect women worst”.

Kate Metcalf, Co-Director of the charity, Women’s Environmental Network, explains “Globally, women are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to their different and unequal social roles and status. In a nutshell, women contribute less to climate change, are impacted more by it, and have less say in decisions about the problem. Women are not represented equally in policy making”.

Many NGOs and governments are now waking up to the link between gender and the environment and this event will dig deep to find ways of putting it back on to the agenda globally and nearer to home. The WEN Forum is taking place on the 26^th January 6.30pm at the London School of Economics. Full details and ticket: www.wen.org.uk

**Ends**

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