INFORSE-Europe: Seminars, Visions, Projects EU Energy & Climate
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Newsletter for INFORSE International Network for SustainableNEWS Energy No. 60, April 2008 Women - Energy - Climate Theme: Global Influence & Local Efforts INFORSE-Europe: Seminars, Visions, Projects EU Energy & Climate Packet Editorial More Women Sustainable Energy News Needed for INFORSE, the NGO network that produces ISSN 0908 - 4134 Decisions this newsletter, has shown that technically it Published by: is possible to have a 100% renewable energy INFORSE-Europe Break the supply by 2050 or earlier. We, together with the “Glass NGO community, work to spread the required Ceiling” on knowledge and to secure the political will for Sustainability International Network for the transition. There is a process ahead. Renew- Sustainable Energy (INFORSE) able-energy and energy-efficiency solutions are is a worldwide NGO network Women are underrepresented in decision- available and their use is increasing. The EU formed at the Global Forum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 1992. making. Even though women got voting rights leaders have set targets, and the EU Commis- in Finland in 1907 and throughout Europe in the sion has proposed legal frameworks by which Editorial Address: following years, the number of women in the to achieve them. The change has started, but it Sustainable Energy News INFORSE-Europe parliaments of EU countries is still only 24 % on needs to be made faster. Gl. Kirkevej 82, DK-8530 average. In the world the average is only 17%. Hjortshøj, Denmark. It is also well known that women still get lower I think there are two main scenarios for the future: T: +45-86-227000 wages for the same job; and the typical “woman Either there will be an environmental catastro- F: +45-86-227096 E: [email protected] jobs” like teaching and nursing pay less than phe or there will be a cleaner planet supplied W: http://www.inforse.org/ most “men jobs”. Though there is a substantial with renewable energy, where nuclear and positive tendency in the development, e.g., the fossil-fuel plants will be shown as museums, Editors: Gunnar Boye Olesen increase in the number of women students al- much as abandoned coal mines are shown Judit Szoleczky lows a certain optimism that the “glass ceiling” nowadays. Niki Fowler (text advice) will disappear some day. Which way the world goes is depending on Advisory Board: us who live now, and on the young people who Emil Bedi, FAE, Slovakia While less empowered than men, women are will be the politicians of tomorrow. It makes me Sécou Sarr, ENDA, Senegal more concerned about environmental risks, and optimistic when I see that more young people Timothy Byakola, CDI, Uganda Richard Worthington, EA, S. Africa they are more in favour of sustainable solutions, and more women can see the risks of the present Raymond Myles, INSEDA, India in energy as well as in many other fields. solutions and the possibility for a sustainable Emilio La Rovere, LIMA, Brazil Mothers were also among those who started future. Roque Pedace, Rejima, Argentina the antinuclear movements in Ukraine and I am looking forward to a new era, to a time in many other countries. It seems as though when women are more equally represented in Deadline for the next issue: women remember better than men. Or maybe parliaments, governments, and boards of compa- 30 May, 2008 Next issue: June 2008 men just have a selective memory, such as the nies. I believe that they can make the necessary many male state leaders that argue for nuclear changes in their countries, in the EU and at the The newsletter is published quarterly. power as a means to avoid climate change. coming international climate negotiations in Nuclear industry proponents pressure decision Poland, in Copenhagen, and beyond. Feel free to use the information, makers into behaving as though it were better to but please state the source. build big nuclear power plants than to build more In this issue, we collected articles from NGOs Annual subscription rate: of the smaller renewable-energy power plants. showing their activities on gender, climate and EUR 25/year. They refuse to acknowledge, let alone address, energy. Some of them are seeking global influ- The newsletter is free of charge for INFORSE members obvious issues, e.g., that if a solar- or wind- ence, while others are concrete local efforts in as long as possible. power plant has a failure you just won’t have developing countries, where women’s legal and electricity for a while, but if a nuclear power social status as well as educational level are of- Printer: plant fails it can cause far larger problems, in- ten much lower than men’s. Women are exposed Fjerritslev Tryk, Denmark cluding illnesses and/or deaths in many people. to the health hazards, developing smoke-related 2,500 copies .. as the wind blows.... illnesses when they cook on inefficient stoves in a smoky kitchen. The girls are the ones who Sustainable Energy News has To increase the gender balance the society spend their time collecting firewood instead of been supported by the European Commission can use regulations such as gender quotas for going to school. Here and in the earlier Women- DG Environment - Civil Society boards, educational institutes, and work places. Theme issues of SEN you can also read about Support to INFORSE-Europe in 2004-08. Do we need these? Do we need to force men to the improvements that could be brought about The articles reflect the views of the share the childcare leave? - The male establish- in women’s lives through sustainable energy authors, and of INFORSE, not of the financial supporters. ment is against, but examples show that some solutions. of these instruments actually do work. More Photos on the front page: women among decision makers, and boards The pictures are from the articles of this issue. members are assets that make companies, and states more competitive and creative as women The drawing illustration on this tend to look for new alternative solutions to page is from the women section problems. of the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s statistics. Judit Szoleczky www.ipu.org editor Sustainable Energy News 2 No. 60, April 2008 Women - Energy - Climate Theme „Don’t nuke the climate“ ”Don’t nuke the climate“ Action made by WECF, Women strongly opposed nuclear energy at the UNFCCC in Bali Munich Environmental Institute, WISE, Ecodefense and other partners, in front By Sabine Bock, energy and of the UNFCCC conference centre, Nusa Dua, Bali, climate change coordinator, Indonesia. WECF From Women in Europe for a Common Future (WECF), we were present with a delegation of 6 women environmental “Keep nuclear leaders at the UN Framework Climate energy out” when Change Conference in Bali. There, we Japan complained voiced the concerns of the WECF network on day 3 of the confer- over the renewed strong push for nuclear ence, that nuclear energy was energy, which is being promoted as a solu- not included in the Clean Development At the WECF exhibition booth, together tion to climate change. WECF members Mechanism (CDM). with our partners, we provided throughout work in regions that have suffered severe The position paper “Women from all the conference expert information on the nuclear damage near Chernobyl, Ukraine, regions of the world strongly oppose nuclear issue, sharing their knowledge and and Mayak, Russia, as well as near ura- including nuclear energy into the clean experience. nium mines in Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan and development mechanism” published by Furthermore, we organized a side event, Armenia. WECF together with GenderCC (women “Regional experience and information on We addressed the immense negative for climate justice) pointed out the total nuclear energy – scientists, witnesses, and health effects of nuclear energy at every failure of nuclear-energy proponents to activists speak out”. step of production and highlighted the face climate change and the fact that the The jointly organized press action experience of the more than 94 member nuclear industry is a threat to our health, “Don’t nuke the climate” with anti-nuclear organisations from WECF, which show our environment and human rights. activists from all over the world in front especially the long-term negative health The paper also highlighted the even of the conference center at the final count- effects on local populations living near worse negative effects of nuclear energy down of the conference reached the dele- nuclear production plants or near uranium on women as radiation sensitivity depends gates and the general public worldwide via mines, and the struggle of the victims to on age and sex. The sensitivity to radiation a front page photo of the demonstration on obtain any support when they have lost of women is about double as high as for the UNFCCC website as well as through family members or have become too ill men with regard to the relative risk. Es- coverage on BBC, television and radio to work. pecially high is the radiation sensitivity of stations and different newspapers. WECF and partners like the Munich En- the unborn child. Women are also more af- WECF also advocated, together with vironmental Institute, Germany, followed fected by the burden of the negative health GenderCC, for integrating gender into the the negotiations closely and immediately impacts as they usually are the caretakers whole process and into climate-change raised their concerns in the NGO confer- of the family who look after their sick and planning. ence newspaper ECO with the article handicapped family members. More: [email protected] Gender Theme Editorial: More Women Needed for Decisions,