https://unfccc.int/blog/inspiring-women-interviews-with-climate-action-leaders-0

 

Renata Koch Alvarenga is the founder and director of EmpoderaClima, an educational platform created to raise awareness of the disproportionate impacts of climate change that girls and women face in the Global South. Renata tells us about her journey from Porto Alegre in Brazil to the climate conferences she regularly speaks at, as well as the importance of storytelling in climate.

 

How did your background influence you?

I am from Porto Alegre in the south of Brazil and I grew up going to my grandma's farm, and so was surrounded by animals and nature. When I went to college to study international relations at 18, I understood the importance of tackling sustainability and the climate crisis, and how it is connected to international relations and global policy. I graduated in International Relations two years ago, and I now work in the public policy sphere, so connecting those dots with my work as a social activist has been really important in order to understand the role that nations play in causing climate change, as well as the role the UN and other international institutions have. Thinking about the different stakeholders at a global level and how they should interact in order to solve the climate crisis has been really interesting.

Who needs to take the lead on this?

It is definitely a [shared responsibility] of different stakeholders, but there are some stakeholders that have different responsibilities. One of the UN climate convention's ideas that I really like is the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. Everyone has a role to play - we need to think about what we can do to take local action, and make sure our voices are heard on a global level. That is why we need to ensure non-profits and civil society are represented.

Why did you decide to build EmpoderaClima?

Many young girls and women all over the world are disproportionately affected by climate change, especially in the Global South. I saw that there needed to be more public awareness about gender and climate justice, not just in Brazil, but internationally, so the voices of these women can be heard. I started EmpoderaClima two years ago to create high quality content on issues related to gender and climate - everything from agriculture to finance ­- with that goal of making the topic more accessible. I also realize that a lot of conversations around climate action are in English, so we produce content in Portuguese, Spanish and French as well. This increases empowerment and advocacy as I believe education is a great empowerment tool. Once people understand the issues, then they can make their voices heard.

What have you learnt about building a community?

You need to find a common goal and make sure people understand the importance of what you are fighting for. Reaching the part of the population who aren't studying climate change is the hardest part. In Brazil, only about 5 per cent of the population speak English, and only about 1 per cent speak English fluently, so it's important to translate something like the Gender Action Plan. The best way to build a community is by finding one common goal and then bringing people together - either by hosting webinars, or attending conferences and events - where we can get that knowledge and bring it back to those people who don't have the opportunity to attend.

How would you define climate justice?

Climate change is a social issue, so climate justice acknowledges that we have to go beyond just reducing emissions, and consider social inequalities as well. Mary Robinson defined it really well when she said we need a humane approach. We can talk about polar ice caps, but we also need to centre the most vulnerable communities as well, such as LGBTQI people, black people, indigenous people, women and girls. When we centre these groups in the conversation about climate action and climate change, we will start to see climate justice.

What leadership experience has shaped you?

Last year I was the Brazil delegate at G(irls)20, which is the platform for young women and girls to engage with the G20. We had to talk to 20 girls from different countries and understand their different perspectives, so we could come up with one document that would highlight our priorities. That experience taught me to lead with empathy, as I realized that having that empathy about those different experiences and listening to others was really important.

What would you like to tell the next generation of women leaders?

I would say they are really powerful, particularly because nowadays we have so much more access to information and we are able to understand the importance of putting climate justice and gender into our work. There's a lot of great opportunities for the next generation of women leaders to be a part of, and we are seeing that more and more, but when we look at the statistics of women in leadership positions, it's still very low. So there is a big opportunity for the next generation to take action.

How do you balance the need to take action without becoming overly pessimistic?

It is easy to become pessimistic, but there are a lot of great things happening too. I think the key thing is translating policy into action. One way to do that is through telling stories. If we want to transform what's in these global agreements into action, it is about bringing that back to our realities, to our communities and understanding that some specific groups are more vulnerable to climate change. And there are numerous indigenous leaders doing work on that in Brazil and all over the globe. Listening to those stories, there is definitely hope as there are a lot of people doing great things around climate action and climate justice. This keeps me going.

Are you optimistic about the future?

I am an optimistic person and you cannot solve a global challenge with pessimism. So, if we are able to create a positive vision and believe we are going to be able to meet the 17 SDGs and meet the Paris Agreement targets, then we can make that future a reality. It is important to make sure we have that positive light and we share a positive light to those who are listening to us. Being a positive communicator is really important so we can get everyone engaged in this fight.