FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
MEDIA CONTACT
Emily Arasim, Communications Coordinator, emily@wecaninternational.org
Laurie Kaufman, Media Strategist, lauriekaufman77@gmail.com +1 (310) 562-8680
Women Kick-Off Global Climate Action Summit Stories and Solutions From Grassroots, Frontline and Indigenous Women
Women Kick-Off Global Climate Action Summit
** ONLINE PRESS CONFERENCE **
Stories and Solutions From Grassroots, Frontline, and Indigenous Women
WHAT: On Thursday, September 6, the Women’s Earth & Climate Action Network (WECAN) International hosts an online press conference in advance of the Global Climate Action Summit. Hear pressing stories and analysis from women living and working on the frontlines of climate change in the most vulnerable communities across the U.S., Canada, and the Maldives. Impacts and solutions will be featured alongside a demand for a just transition to clean energy which includes women’s rights, indigenous rights, and the rights of nature. The press conference advances WECAN International’s September 11 free public forum in San Francisco, CA, the ‘Women's Assembly for Climate Justice: Women Leading Solutions on the Frontlines of Climate Change.”
WHO:
* Eriel Deranger, Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation – Canada (Indigenous Climate Action)
* Thilmeeza Hussain – Maldives (Former Maldives Deputy Ambassador to the UN; Voice of Women)
* Kandi White, Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Nation – North Dakota (Extreme Energy & Just Transition Campaign, Indigenous Environmental Network)
*Jacqueline Patterson – U.S. (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Environmental and Climate Justice Program)
* Antonia Juhasz – U.S. ((Un)Covering Oil Investigative Reporting Program, a project of the Society of Environmental Journalists)
* Osprey Orielle Lake – U.S. (Women's Earth and Climate Action Network, WECAN International)
These women leaders are experts in alternative energy, pipelines, indigenous rights, fracking, climate policy, green jobs, sustainable development, and gender impacts of the global climate crisis, amongst other themes.
Full speaker biographies available here.
WHEN: Thursday, September 6
2:30-3:15 PST // 3:30 – 4:15 MST // 5:30 – 6:15 EST
WHERE:
Join the press conference via Zoom for the opportunity to ask questions and interact with presenters.
Zoom call-in instructions:
OPTION A - Join via your computer/internet connection:
1. Download the free Zoom program (only needed if you are new to the program): launcher.zoom.us/download
2. Click to join the call: zoom.us/j/4154152016
OR OPTION B - Join by phone: +1 408 638 0968 (US Toll) or +1 646 558 8656 (US Toll)
Enter the Meeting ID: 415 415 2016
The press conference will also be concurrently live streamed and available for playback via the Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network Facebook page: www.facebook.com/WECAN.Intl/
WHY:
Women are impacted first and worst by climate change yet are simultaneously essential actors in local and global solutions. Studies worldwide demonstrate that women must be engaged at all levels of participation, leadership and decision-making to build effective and just social and ecological programs and communities. And yet, the voice and rights of women continue to be suppressed and ignored. As CNN and Media Matters have reported, only 15% of those interviewed in the media on climate change have been women. It is essential to close the gap and hear what women have to say, both impacts and solutions. Their voices need to be heard. To succeed, the climate movement needs to fully recognize a gender justice perspective that includes women’s rights, women and girls’ education, and proper funding for grassroots projects.
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The Women's Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) International
www.wecaninternational.org - @WECAN_INTL
The Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) International is a 501(c)3 and solutions-based organization established to engage women worldwide in policy advocacy, on-the-ground projects, trainings, and movement building for global climate justice.