The whole Global Warming and Climate Change movement has become a bit cliched. The media has blown it entirely out of proportion, causing people who don’t even know the facts or the science behind it all to either be completely for or against it. There’s no moderation. That’s why we need to educate people, and realise that we should go green and respect our planet, not because an apocalypse might happen otherwise, but because it’ll prolong our existence here.
Recently, when I was at a workshop at the South African Institute of International Affairs, I came across a programme, called the Environmental Sustainability Project which is basically like a research paper for the youth to do, looking at and linking three different aspects of the environment in relation to going green. I, having quite a ‘change the world’ mentality, was immediately interested, and in doing the research, I’ve learnt and discovered so much more than I could have imagined.
My paper focuses on Climate Change, how we need to develop sustainably to mitigate it, and furthermore looking at how women’s role in agricultural production is integral for that. Sounds boring to some of you? I actually would have thought so too. BUT – how everything links to each other is incredible. Women make up more than half of the farmers in Africa, and often get given a huge workload because their husbands have to become migrant workers. These women then have to do the farming, household chores and look after the children. The scary thing: tonnes of farming policy makers stereotype farmers to be men, detrimenting these poor women further. So helping them farm sustainably would protect the environment (linking to Climate Change), and make sure their children – our future generations – know how to do the same.
(Warning: slight feminist rant ahead)
The most amazing part of it all is that women are actually extremely important, in so many aspects. If we educate them, they will be able to get jobs, having children later on. According the the UN, girls in developing countries who receive seven years of schooling have more choices in life: marrying an average of four years later and having 2.2 fewer children. They also are raising our future generation, and if we educate them, they can educate their children about things like being green.
I say, half of the world’s problems are caused by men (petrol companies, industry) and the other half can be solved by focusing on women (education, overpopulation and resource limitations).
So I guess what whoever is reading this can gather from the above, is not only are women important ;), but by me, just one teenage girl, looking into issues and doing some research, I’ve generated pretty good (if I do say so myself) solutions to the world’s problems – at least some of them. Point is, If ALL people, ALL ages, ALL classes, did a bit more research into Earth’s issues, rather than just taking the media’s word for it, we’d have a lot more informed, passionate, conscious people and a lot more solutions.
If that was at all inspirational, and you’re feeling like you want to get some research and reading done, here are a few cool places to start:
5 Reasons You Should Care About Girls’ Education – http://www.unfoundation.org/blog/5-reasons.html
Seeds of Change (an awesome initiative involving African women in agriculture) – http://www.globalfundforwomen.org/impact/food-security
Women’s Environment & Development Organisation’s take on sustainable development – http://www.wedo.org/category/themes/sustainable-development-themes
The Politics of Thought, South Africa 