Main Stage - Exploring the business of climate through women entrepreneurs
Channel: Sankalp Forum
Date: 17/11/2022

Multiple studies find that when women are in leadership roles in the climate ecosystem,  it brings about better policies, more transparency, and efficient utilization of resources. It is observed that international environmental treaties are more prone to be ratified if women are included in the negotiations. Countries across the globe have been able to create more stringent climate change policies due to the increasing number of women in their parliaments and this has also reduced emissions by a significant amount. In the private sector, there is a direct positive correlation between the percentage of women on board to the disclosure of carbon emissions. In the world of profits, evidence shows that women-founded start-ups generally earn more on every dollar of investment than their male-led counterparts. In fact, even women at the last mile of farming, increase their agricultural yields by 20-30% with the same access to resources as men! Lastly, let’s not forget the young woman driving and forcing the world to focus on climate change - Gretta Thenburg. 

In spite of the proven results, more than 90% of total funding goes to male-led companies. Studies have shown that women in Asia and the Pacific have less time to reskill or network because they do almost four times unpaid care work.

Women possess knowledge and experience at the local level and are thus imperative to be included in the change.  Without gender equality today, a sustainable, more equal future remains beyond our reach. With this thought, the session will discuss strategies to help strengthen the climate innovation landscape for women entrepreneurs.