Rumaitha Al Busaidi: Women and girls, you are part of the climate solution | TED Countdown

Transcriber:

When we think of solutions to global warming,

we generally think in terms of technology or policy,

but other approaches are necessary

which have to do with how our societies are structured.

The most important of them

is educating and empowering women and girls.

Now, don't take my word for it.

Its potential impact has been calculated by scientists.

Like, for instance, those working on Project Drawdown,

who focus on greenhouse gas emissions.

They calculated that educating and empowering women and girls

is one of the single most important things

that we can do to confront carbon pollution.

It may result in a total reduction of CO2-equivalent gases

of over 80 billion tons,

which is not far from double the total annual global emissions.

As a marine scientist and nature adventurer,

I've witnessed firsthand

how climate change impacts the world we live in.

These climate catastrophes have almost taken my life.

Like when I was nearly buried alive during an avalanche

or swept away by a cyclone.

Thankfully, I survived,

but will our grandchildren call this planet home in 2050 or 2100

if our trajectory continues?

Coming from a male-dominated society,

I've been asked all sorts of intrusive questions

as to why I do what I do.

"Can you even travel alone?"

"Are you capable of climbing mountains with your heavier figure?

I mean, are you fit enough?"

"Do you think, as a woman, you're equipped to do this?"

And the answer has always been, yes.

I want to show my fellow Arab women that anything is possible,

that being a woman should not be the end to your dreams,

that you are so much more than what you are conditioned to be,

and that you are indeed the solution to the crisis facing our planet.

In 2020, women made up about 40 percent of the global workforce.

Women's shares in the Middle East are just under 25 percent.

And these figures are way lower in the Gulf countries.

And considering that women make up nearly half of the Gulf,

imagine how women's equal involvement in the economy

could enhance the overall growth of the region.

Many labor laws state

that there's no discrimination between men and women.

Yet women's upward mobility is quite restricted

and many senior positions are still being held by men.

The cultural perception that women are more emotional

or better suited to household responsibilities

remains a serious obstacle for ambitious women

who end up underemployed.

So what does that have to do with the climate?

Well, access to education, employment and family planning

is the condition for more vibrant lives for women and girls,

for their families and their entire communities.

They get to earn more money,

achieve career goals and face fewer health issues.

And not only that, they become more resilient

and better equipped to manage both food and nature

and to cope with the impacts of climate change.

Women are also the ones most at risk

when it comes to impacts of climate catastrophes like cyclones,

which have grown more frequent in my own home country of Oman.

And why?

Well because they're left with a charge of the children or elderly,

they don't know how to swim,

or simply because they never had basic resilience skills taught to them,

like building a shelter, making a fire

or even administering basic first aid.

In fact, UN figures indicate

that 80 percent of people displaced by climate change

are women.

And with more of these occurrences happening,

my gender will face more of the brunt

further preventing them from achieving their potential

and protecting themselves.

This is why I founded WomeX,

a platform where we teach women from my community negotiation skills

to nurture a new wave of girl bosses in the region.

WomeX is on a mission to laying the groundwork

to combating climate change

by bridging localized context and leadership training.

By educating more women on these skills,

we hope to equip them with the tools

that allow them to control their careers and their lives,

and to contribute significantly to the collective efforts

necessary to confront carbon pollution.

So far, we've supported a thousand

and are working hard to achieve our ambitious goal of a million.

Now, even though it has been

on the global sustainability radar for years,

gender parity as a climate solution

has not received the attention it deserves.

Now is the time to make it a priority.

Now is the time to educate and empower all women and all girls.

Thank you.