A world designed by men destroyed natural equilibrium: Angelica Ponce

London: Angelica Ponce, executive director of the Plurinational Authority for Mother Earth in Bolivia said that the world designed by men has destroyed the natural equilibrium and only through women empowerment could a solvent be evolved to protect the earth from warming. She was speaking at the Cop26.

Many leaders and campaigners have warned that the empowerment of women is important to end the climate crisis. A UN report has found that 80% of the population displaced by the climate crisis are women. Ponce added that if the world was designed by women, it would end violence against women and children, reported The Guardian.

The UN report had observed that women suffer more due to displacement because they are on average poorer, less educated, and more dependent on subsistence farming. The Cop26 on Tuesday focused on gender equality. Indigenous women and female politicians from across the world demanded increased investment in women's empowerment.

A Malala Fund report had noted that climate-related events will prevent at least 4 million girls from completing their education in 2021 alone. If the trend continues, 12.5 million girls will have the same experience every year.

Ponce, an indigenous woman of Bolivia, said that they want to be in the corridors of power and take part in decisions at the international level to end this struggle of climate justice. She added that indigenous women live day-by-day the cruel reality of climate change in their lands.

Scotland's First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon and Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi also echoed similar sentiments about women empowerment.

Sturgeon observed that a tiny minority of the world leaders are women and it needs to change quickly. She said there is no doubt that climate change is a feminist issue. "Women are not pleading to be supported. We are demanding to be empowered," reported The Guardian.

Per Olsson Fridh, Sweden's minister for international development cooperation told Cop26 that women carry the consequences of climate change on their shoulders despite not being the polluters. He added that the world is missing out on invaluable knowledge needed for a sustainable green transition without a gender perspective and a feminist approach.

The UK minister and president of Cop26, Alok Sharma, said that he knows from the country's effort to tackle the climate crisis that putting women at the centre makes it more effective. Referring to the Malala Fund report, Sharma said that education empowers girls and equips them to deal with the effects of climate change and to take climate action.

Representatives of Germany and Canada stated that they intend gender justice to become an important factor in climate action.