Climate Change+Women+Peace

by Corporations v Democracy and Earth Democracy Issue Committees

A new project funded by a WILPF mini-grant will provide printed materials for branches and members to engage their communities on the combined impact of climate, trade and war on women and families.  The world is seeing it in a historic refugee crisis.  But WILPF can connect the dots for the public on the real causes of these migrations and the dangers inherent for fleeing families.

Infographic Cards printed in time for the lead-up to the COP 21 Climate Talks and Climate Actions around the US in November and December will position WILPF branches to help their communities connect the dots between

• extreme weather events around the globe,
• the part the military plays in contributing to climate and environmental degradation,
• the role of transnational corporations in profiteering without regard to human rights or environmental justice and
• the accumulated burden of all of those connected issues on women and families.

“WILPF has a long track record of helping people understand the not-so-obvious root causes of war and conflict,” notes Marybeth Gardam, chair of the Corporations v Democracy Issue Committee.  Her committee is collaborating again with the Earth Democracy Issue Committee on this project.  This time they plan to involve both the DISARM and Advancing Human Rights Issue Committees “because this is a huge issue that involves human rights, the environment, corporate abuse of power through horrific trade agreements, and a military that both contributes to climate crises and is embroiled in conflicts over resulting diminished resources around the world.”  

They plan to produce a Study Guide and Fact Sheets, as well as Suggestions for ACTIONS in early Spring, with the cooperation of AHR and DISARM, that will also be made available to branches and at-large-members.  These will include questions to be aimed at Presidential candidates during the summer and fall of 2016. 

Following the success of the Infographic cards from the Human Right to Health & Safe Food Campaign, new Infographic cards will be designed and printed and made available to branches and members to distribute in their communities.  “This time we are distributing the cards at no cost to branches, but asking for them to pay for the shipping we incur sending them out,” said Nancy Price of Earth Democracy Issue Committee.

Price notes that some of the points included in the project will include:

• Women bear most of the impact of climate change’s extreme weather emergencies, continuing to care for children, elders and the infirm even amid floods, droughts, and fleeing as climate refugees
• They also bear most of the impact of war and militarism, trying to keep their families fed, clean and safe during times of combat and bombing and the lack of resources associated with all of that.   Millions of families are fleeing combat and conflict situations and these refugees are vulnerable to human trafficking, poverty, food insecurity, disease and homelessness.
• The military is a huge contributor to CO2 emissions and global warming.  Combat conditions and bombing also make it more difficult to find safe food and water.  Women sometimes have to travel for days in unsafe conditions to seek those life-supporting resources.  Increasingly they are targeted for rape, as a weapon of war, and human trafficking of several kinds.
• Women in nations accepting refugees from war and extreme weather crises will have the majority of the responsibility for working with charities, churches and governmental agencies to help protect, provide for and assimilate new refugees. 
• The corporate profiteers pull the strings on trade agreements that also contribute to global climate crises, CO2 emissions, attacks on worker rights, environmental degradation, food insecurity, health threats, and jobs shipped overseas.  

“It’s all connected,” explains Price, and “that is the message we need to get out.  We must work  to form a ‘movement of movements’ with peace activists joining environmentalists, food security groups, human rights defenders, women’s rights advocates and climate change protesters all standing shoulder to shoulder. This Infographic card is a tool we can use to play our part in education and mobilization for change. Now we have to get it out there.”

Branches and members will be asked to contact their local ally organizations and request their help in distributing more of these cards. It’s a great way to reconnect and support each others’ work locally.

Cards should be ready for distribution by mid-November. Contact Marybeth Gardam mbgardam@gmail.com for more information on ordering.