Details about the project "Climate for Change"

Problems Addressed and Requirements for Action
As a cornerstone of sustainable development, climate protection is and has been a current topic for many years and with the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, has been transformed from the level of voluntary individual participation to an obligatory assignment. The political process covers not only the UN climate protection conferences and national climate protection plans, but climate protection policies of the regional and local levels as well. Especially at the local level, a decisive contribution to climate protection can and must be performed, for it is in the local realm where a large portion for the potential of greenhouse gas reductions can be developed.

Climate protection not only concerns large corporations, but the average consumer and households as well, in every aspect of the public and private life: whether it be transportation or energy supply, consumption or the way in which people spend their leisure time – our behavior always has an effect upon the climate. For this reason, it is even more important that women have the opportunity to participate, as equally as men, in the decisions made on how to prevent climate change. Finally, it is most often the women who implement the corresponding measures in daily life.

Climate protection policy and the development of climate protection measures at the national, as well as the international level, show that these topics have reached a high level of professionalisation. In this case, the technical field dominates above all the rest and it is in this area where women are significantly underrepresented. This can be plainly seen in the almost complete absence of women at the decision making levels and their minimal employment in the fields relevant to climate protection, like the energy and transportation sectors. This is true for decision making positions in politics, business, science and non-governmental organisations, as well as in consulting agencies, expert think tanks, and the negotiations towards climate protection at the international level.

Furthermore, women are also underrepresented in positions related to climate protection at the local level . An evaluation of the staff in Climate Alliance's member cities revealed that the share of women employed in the energy and transportation sectors, which are critical areas for the realisation of climate protection goals, is  below 20%. As out of these women most are administration staff, there is a clear and additional disadvantage for women to come to a position for political decision making. As soon as one looks at issues concerning climate relevant topics, women are clearly in the minority within the committees representing the public, associations, and companies. Statistical data on this is sporadic, but one can clearly see the minimal presence of women when looking at the businesses in question at the local level, the businesses which are potential winners from climate protection measures and are therefore included in the meetings of community planning and stakeholder rounds (for example the building/housing industries, installation services, chimney-sweeps, heating and solar energy companies).

However, it is at the local level where women are the most able to be present and participate. Therefore, this project focuses on the local level with a goal being to influence other decision making levels as well. Furthermore, it is within the local authority which allows for the greatest opportunity to increase the number of women in the relevant participation processes.

Target Groups
are participants in the planning and decision making processes involved with local climate protection, as well as the climate protection and energy sector representatives within the local authority as well as participants in stakeholder processes (Local Agenda 21, Round Tables, etc.).

Project Activities
By involving several local authorities across Europe, the project analyses the structures of decision making in the relevant fields for local climate protection and aims at identifying whether they prevent or promote an equitable participation of women in climate protection activities. To achieve this, a survey will be carried out in the partner cities.

Interviews with the women who currently participate in decision making, as well as interviews with climate protection experts within the local authority, should offer information about the structures which allow for the participation in decision making, also outside of the local authority's government and administration (Local Agenda 21, environmental organisations, businesses). With this analysis, the general conditions will be identified, showing the hindrances and/or supports towards equitable participation in the decision making processes. Furthermore, the interviews will offer information about the current instruments and methods applied to promote the participation of women in the decision making processes (for example women’s support plans, data bases of women experts, mentoring, etc.).

The project is based on the assumption that the small presence of women in the field of climate protection and other related sectors is due to the fact, that the required positions are significantly shaped by the technical side of climate protection – which from the outset is an area in which a small percentage of women are active. Questions to be investigated in the framework of the 'Climate for Change' project are: whether the technical qualifications are actually relevant for decision making positions within the realm of climate protection or whether it is necessary to place, for example, much more emphasis on communication issues; and whether local climate protection measures are primarily geared toward the technical side or whether they should be based more strongly on education and information. These questions will be adressed in national workshops.

Parallel to the national studies and workshops, positive examples from institutions and organisations in the different countries currently pursuing a well balanced participation of women within the decision making processes will be researched and collected.

In a collaborative process, the studies and best practices will be evaluated and examined in relation to their transferability. The result of this exercise will be the 'Climate for Change' tool kit, comprising recommendations on instruments and best practice as well as strategies and hints for an effective implementation.

All these activities will be accompanied by a forum on this website, where the results of the studies will be discussed. Experience and ideas from people outside of the project will also be included and the gender specific aspects of climate protection will be discussed. Finally, offering a database of women experts in the area of climate protection should give them more visibility and therefore provide opportunities to be queried for available positions (committees, presentations, etc.).

 The forum, the expert data base as well as the project meetings shall contribute to setting up a network of women and men, that will be used over the long term as a reference for the issue of gender mainstreaming in local climate protection.