The consequences are immediate and devastating: rising health emergencies, soaring energy costs, and unsafe working conditions. Meanwhile, last year, the climate crisis crossed a dangerous threshold — for the first time, the global average temperature exceeded the critical 1.5°C limit. Compounding this threat is a surge in extreme political conservatism that is stalling climate progress just when bold action is most urgent. Threats to democracy and science are impeding necessary government action. Yet, a silenced majority of people across the planet— between 80 and 89 percent — want stronger climate action from their governments.
Nature is making it perfectly clear: the world cannot afford further delay—the climate crisis is not waiting for politics. What we need now is courageous leadership and international cooperation to drive ambitious solutions that can protect ecosystems, avert the worst impacts of the climate crisis, respect justice and human rights, build thriving communities, and secure a livable future for all.
Across the globe, women in all their diversity have demonstrated the kind of audacious climate leadership and responsiveness that is urgently needed. Young women leaders like Mitzi Jonelle Tan, Wawa Gatheru, and Ayshka Najib are sharing personal experiences to mobilise their generation to demand meaningful political action in nations most affected by climate change. Women politicians and community leaders have not only broken glass ceilings, but are also championing climate policies that provide safe and healthy environments for all. Indigenous women leaders, such as Puyr Tembé and Eriel Tchekwie Deranger, are protecting ancestral lands and biodiversity from extractive industries while engaging in traditional land management systems to stabilise struggling ecosystems. Over and over again, women have proven that stopping the acceleration of climate change and building flourishing communities is possible.
Decades of research have shown that women’s global leadership is crucial in achieving climate action, yet despite the experience and success women bring to combating global warming, gender parity in mainstream politics and climate forums remains deficient. New data from March 2025 reveals that women remain underrepresented at all levels of decision-making worldwide.
With only five years left until we reach 2030, this is a vital time for climate governance and the future of our planet. A key challenge that global climate movements are working to address is how to break open new opportunities to engage governments in taking the necessary action for climate justice. Thus far, only 22 countries have submitted their newest round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), a Paris Agreement compliance measure in which nations submit their climate goals every five years. The absence of climate urgency demonstrated by the remaining 175 countries without NDCs, which account for 79 percent of global climate emissions, will pose a problem as nations meet this summer in Bonn, Germany, to plan for the November international climate conference in Brazil.
COP30 in Brazil will have to reckon not only with unambitious government action but also the continued, disastrous influence of the fossil fuel industry, making the role of women as climate leaders and the movement for climate justice crucial. In anticipation of COP30 and beyond, over 125 women leaders from 50 countries will convene virtually for the Global Women’s Assembly for Climate Justice: Path to COP30 and Beyond to weave together strategies, campaigns, projects, and solutions addressing the climate crisis. By developing policy priorities, gathering support, and co-strategising, women climate champions are preparing for one of our last opportunities to build global action. Now more than ever, experts, leaders, and advocates need to come together not only to confront the climate crisis, but also to democratize and implement the solutions necessary for a just and livable planet.
Osprey Orielle Lake is the Founder and Executive Director of Women’s Earth & Climate Action Network, International (WECAN)
Top photo – Pictured: Osprey Orielle Lake, Source: Instagram/wecan_intl
