The Daughters of Mother Nature

Author: Grace Johnston

Field of Study: Science, Technology, Engineering, and/or Math

Program Affiliation: Source Project Research Program

Faculty Mentors: Matthew Cole

Timeslot: Midday

Abstract: Despite the apparent commitment in the discipline of climate justice to the inclusion of the perspectives of marginalized groups, such as frontline communities, the voices of women have been blatantly disregarded in both scholarship and society. This willful ignorance of the parallel exploitation of women and the natural world limits the efficacy by which the international community can understand—and, therefore, combat—the effects of climate change. Through a four-corner study analyzing the legislation of different nations with varying levels of protection for women and the environment, this paper will first establish women as a frontline community in the climate crisis. It will then outline the positive correlation between women's rights and environmental protection before developing radical international policy solutions enshrining the rights of Mother Nature and her daughters. Women must be included (and, occasionally, centered) in contemporary conversation to achieve true climate justice.