Women In Climate Change -International Women's Day

Climate change is on the agenda for women’s groups this International Women’s Day, March 8th, according to the founder of Australia's 1 Million Women campaign.

Natalie Isaacs, founder and CEO of the 1 Million Women campaign, says it’s now more important than ever for women to stand up and be change agents in society for practical action on reducing CO2 emissions.

Isaacs will be the keynote speaker at a series of events being held by local authorities, service clubs, schools and businesses during the week of International Women’s Day.

Isaacs says women make at least 70% of purchasing decisions that affect household environmental footprint, and influence even more.

She says the just-published Who Cares about the Environment? – a three-yearly research report from the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW) - raises a number of significant gender issues in regard to climate change and environmental attitudes and action.

It found that:

• Women were more likely than men to be concerned a great deal or a fair amount about environmental problems (71% compared to 62% of men)
• Women were more likely than men to think that climate change is having an impact now (42% compared to 33% of men)
• Women were more likely than men to think that NSW should take urgent action on climate change (73% compared to 65% of men)
• BUT, men were likely to be correct on knowledge questions about the greenhouse effect than women (men 57% correct, women 45%).

Isaacs says it's important to make sure women’s knowledge levels on climate change, global warming and the greenhouse effect match their concern.

The 1 Million Women campaign aims to engage 1 million Australian women in practical action on climate change by 2011-12. Members are asked to cut 1 tonne of CO2 emissions each from their daily lives within a year of joining the campaign.

For more information go to: www.1millionwomen.com.au