Women are at the forefront of the global climate crisis. They disproportionately experience its impacts yet are powerful agents of change.

Their leadership is crucial for ending the era of fossil fuels and implementing sustainable solutions worldwide. Empowering women is essential for effective climate action.

During Climate Week in New York City, WECAN held a virtual public event on September 26, 2024, titled “Transforming Global Economies: From Extraction to Regeneration in a Just Transition.”

Global women leaders shared insights on a Just Transition and innovative economic models, including community-led initiatives, feminist economics, Indigenous wisdom, and traditional practices of reciprocity with the Earth. This dynamic discussion highlighted a clear path to a thriving, socially just, and ecologically enriching future for all.

WECAN extends sincere thanks to all the inspiring speakers for their valuable contributions.

On April 18, 2024, Indigenous youth leaders globally convened virtually at the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII). They presented strategies and solutions to address fossil fuel extraction, deforestation, and the climate crisis.

Utilizing Indigenous knowledge, panelists championed Indigenous rights, self-determination, and climate justice, aiming for a healthy and equitable climate future. The event featured diverse Indigenous youth leaders from regions including Nepal, Turtle Island/USA, Kenya, and Norway.

Indigenous knowledge provides crucial climate solutions. In Oklahoma, amidst extensive fracking, Casey Camp-Horinek (Ponca Nation) and her community, supported by WECAN, are constructing the Earthen Lodge. This project, rooted in Indigenous wisdom, fosters food sovereignty and climate resilience, aiming for seventh-generation survival.

Stewarded by the Pa'tha'ta Women's Society, the Lodge offers safe harbor during climate disasters, space for cultural teachings, and sustainable food and medicine. It addresses decades of oil pollution, supporting community strength against fossil fuel extraction and climate disruption. Learn more about the Earthen Lodge Project: wecaninternational.org/earthen-lodge-project

On September 12, 2024, WECAN launched its "Gendered and Racial Impacts of the Fossil Fuel Industry in North America" report. This fourth edition details how fossil fuel extraction disproportionately harms women, particularly in Black, Brown, Indigenous, and low-income communities, leading to increased health risks, violence, and human rights violations. It also identifies complicit financial institutions and recommends steps for accountability and a just transition.

The virtual launch featured frontline women leaders, health experts, and advocates. Speakers like Roishetta Sibley Ozane, Rene Ann Goodrich, Sharon Lavigne, and Casey Camp Horinek demanded that financial institutions take action to protect communities, ecosystems, and the climate.

Lynn Margulis was a prominent evolutionary theorist, biologist, and science author. She is best known for developing the theory of symbiogenesis and co-developing the Gaia Theory with James Lovelock.

Margulis authored several books, including *Mind, Life, and Universe*, *Dazzle Gradually*, and *Luminous Fish*, some in collaboration with her son, Dorion Sagan. Her work often explored her deep love of nature and fascination with science.

The latest Cultural Survival Quarterly issue celebrates Indigenous educators and youth revitalizing knowledge systems, languages, and lifeways. Indigenous education honors Elders and youth as vital knowledge carriers, fostering their leadership and creativity for thriving communities.

Join the conversation with Indigenous educators, including panelists Aviut Rojas (Nahuat), Eli Wewentxu (Mapuche), Gloria Guadalupe Dzib Kumul (Maya), and Catalina Vergara Realpe (Nasa). Byron Tenesaca Guaman (Kañari Kichwa) will moderate.

Interpretation is available for English and Spanish speakers via tinyurl.com/indiged116.

Austin Picinich delivered a speech at the Brower Youth Awards ceremony.

The event took place on October 8, 2024, at the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley, California.

Vishruth Dinesh delivered a speech at the Brower Youth Awards ceremony.

The event took place on October 8, 2024, at the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley, California.

Amelia Southern-Uribe delivered a speech at the recent Brower Youth Awards ceremony.

The event took place on October 8, 2024, at the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley, California.

Asa Miller delivered a compelling speech at the recent Brower Youth Awards ceremony. This prestigious event, celebrating young environmental leaders, was held on October 8, 2024.

The ceremony took place at the renowned Freight & Salvage venue in Berkeley, California. Miller's address was a highlight, inspiring attendees with insights and calls to action.

The 25th annual Brower Youth Awards celebrated six youth environmental leaders on October 8, 2024, in Berkeley, California. The ceremony featured special videos and speeches highlighting their significant accomplishments.

This year's theme, "Currents," emphasized how these young leaders energize environmental action. Despite facing existential threats like the climate crisis, their urgent solutions and dedication propel change for a healthy, equitable planet, demonstrating remarkable resilience.

A flagship event of the New Leaders Initiative, the Brower Youth Awards has honored outstanding youth environmental leaders since 2000. The national award is presented by Earth Island Institute. Learn more at broweryouthawards.org.

Nineteen-year-old artist Austin Picinich founded Save Our Salmon through Art (SOS) in 2021. This nonprofit uses public art to educate and empower communities to protect local salmon-spawning streams, many of which are blocked by urban culverts. Picinich was inspired after only three salmon returned to spawn in Juanita Creek near his home.

SOS hosts interactive mural painting events. Picinich designs salmon-themed murals, which volunteers and attendees complete during "SOS Community Days." These events have engaged nearly 750 painters and over 3,000 attendees, raising more than $28,000 for stream restoration and reaching almost a million people through awareness efforts.

Raina Maiga delivered a speech at the Brower Youth Awards ceremony.

The event took place on October 8, 2024, at the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley, California.

Yuki Qian delivered a speech at the recent Brower Youth Awards ceremony.

The event was held at the Freight & Salvage in Berkeley, California, on October 8, 2024.

Raina Maiga, 16, an asylum seeker, ensures youth voices influence policy, driven by her experience of powerlessness. As Executive Director of Confront the Climate Crisis, an Indiana youth environmental organization, she leads legislative efforts.

Under Maiga, the group co-wrote and lobbied for two state bills (2022-2023) creating a climate solutions task force. They also held Statehouse events, educating youth and fostering legislator discussions. Maiga secured $20,000 yearly grants, removing financial barriers for student attendance.

Though state bills didn't pass, Confront the Climate Crisis now helps students enact local climate resolutions with city councils, adding to ten youth-written resolutions in Indiana, advocated for with Earth Charter Indiana.

Frustrated by the inaccessibility of climate action for young people, Vishruth Dinesh founded The Green Therapy in late 2022. At eight, he realized options like EVs or voting were out of reach for youth, making effective environmentalism seem a privilege. His grassroots organization aims to anchor young people in the climate movement.

The Green Therapy empowers youth through sustainable gardening, which reduces waste, preserves biodiversity, and combats pollution affordably. It partners with 14 San Francisco Bay Area schools, establishing environmental courses and garden programs. These initiatives equip students with practical skills to protect the planet, fostering a lasting connection to nature and building a growing school garden network.

Yuki Qian, 17, addresses Pittsburgh's high radon levels, a radioactive gas causing 21,000 U.S. deaths annually. Her family's financial struggles with home health renovations inspire her to use technology and knowledge to overcome socioeconomic barriers, aiding vulnerable communities.

In 2023, supported by Pittsburgh Phipps Conservatory, Qian founded RadONRadOFF. This project distributes free radon test kits, low-cost remediation info, and safety education to local, lower-income areas. Partnering with state authorities, mitigation companies, and YMCAs, she also advocates for policies to close public health disparity gaps. Aerial footage courtesy of @almosafir: https://www.youtube.com/@almosafir.

Amelia Southern-Uribe, 21, grew up in environmentally vulnerable Southern communities, recognizing early on that environmental justice is linked to the liberation of marginalized groups. In 2019, they founded Arkansas’s first Zero Hour chapter in Fayetteville, which became a model for climate activism across the state.

Addressing Arkansas’s educational disparities, which exacerbate injustice, Southern-Uribe co-founded Roots magazine in 2022. Roots amplifies BIPOC Southern voices and environmental knowledge, providing free art supplies to artists. In its pilot year, over $7,800 was raised to distribute the magazine statewide.

In 2022, aspiring marine biologist Asa Miller, with deep roots in Cuba, learned about coral restoration efforts in the country's Matanzas Province. Recognizing that developing nations like Cuba disproportionately suffer from global coral loss and often lack resources, Miller launched `¡Viva el Vivero!` (Long Live the Nursery!) in 2023. This international campaign to restore Cuba's stunning coral reefs has since won multiple conservation awards.

During visits to Matanzas, 17-year-old Miller interviewed divers and scientists, analyzed coral nursery data, and mapped restoration sites. Back in New York, he founded a high school marine biology club to raise funds for planting coral fragments. Miller also produced an award-winning documentary showcasing his team's restoration methods, serving as a primer for other developing countries.