In the Words Of: Renown Activist Saad Amer on Climate Justice, Gender Equality and Gloria Steinem

Saad Amer and Rupi Kaur pose on the carpet of the UN Women HeForShe Summit 2023.

Men will often say they care about women, and cite their mothers, daughters or partners as reasons why. I’m not going to do that, because that viewpoint inherently places men at the center, and finds value in women only because of their relationships to men. In fact, I have never heard anyone say they value other men because they are dads and brothers and sons. Somehow, we have birthed a culture where patriarchal views are the norm and men ignore the inherent dignity of every person. 

As a climate activist, I have travelled the world working on climate policy, researching climate impacts and organizing at the grassroots for systemic change. I have worked as a consultant to the United Nations and have seen firsthand how climate change is impacting global communities. From rising sea levels in the Maldives to floods and droughts in the Himalayas, the climate crisis is devastating the global south. In my research and travels, it is clear that climate change is not just an environmental crisis, but a social justice issue that disproportionately impacts women and girls across the world.

As seas rise and croplands fail, women experience an immense burden from the consequences of the climate crisis. Even so, women’s voices are often overlooked from global climate discussions. Just this past year, an all-male organizing committee was created for COP29 in Azerbaijan. This would eventually be addressed after massive public outrage. But even then, only 12 women were added to the committee, bringing the final tally to well below 50:50 gender parity. 

So, it should come as no surprise that COP29 negotiations dropped intersectionality in its final text. The results of COP29 further failed to include gender-responsive climate finance, and adopted an insufficient $300 billion dollar global climate financing target. Decision making without equitable and thoughtful representation will only serve to exacerbate inequties, and these slow-moving half-measures are baking in harm to people and our planet. 

As a HeForShe activist, my personal goals has been to push for climate justice and infuse expertise from the grassroots into effective policy at a global scale. At the 2023 HeForShe Summit, poet Rupi Kaur recited that “if we had the opportunity to start over and recreate the system today, we would know better than to choose what we have now.” Those words serve as a rallying cry as HeForShe surges into its 10th year. 

When I think about my own journey in understanding gender equality, I look to one of my own heroes, feminist icon Gloria Steinem. I recently had the honor of chatting with her at her home in New York. Her courage, consistency and resilience fighting for women’s rights well into her 90’s is incredibly inspiring and a wakeup call. A culture of misogyny is on the rise, and the world is regressing in support for women’s education and bodily autonomy. Meanwhile, the climate crisis is making matters worse for women and girls. It is clear that the movement for gender equality needs more allies. 

Men must do more to fight patriarchal norms and gender inequities. The “bro-code” must center sexism as an enemy. We must put pressure on those who belittle women, and encourage a healthy vision of masculinity that views all as equal. If we can cut sexism out at the source and understand all peoples have inherent dignity and rights, we will move toward a more equal world that is more equitable and more equipped to fight the climate crisis. The time to take a stand is now. If we do, our people and planet will be better off for generations to come. 

Saad Amer is a climate activist and the Founder of Justice Environment , a climate and sustainability consultancy.