(L to R) Oxfam Sisters on the Planet Ambassadors: Elizabeth Becker, NH Senate Majority Leader - Maggie Hassan, NH House Speaker - Terie Norelli, NH Senate President Pro Temp - Martha Fuller Clark, NH Senate President - Sylvia Larsen, and Eva Christensen
Prominent women from across New Hampshire will serve as “Ambassadors” for the Sisters on the Planet Campaign, announced international humanitarian organization Oxfam America today during a leadership breakfast in Concord. The Sisters on the Planet Campaign is a national effort to highlight the disproportionate effect that global climate change has on women throughout the world. As Ambassadors, these women will advocate for strong legislative action to address global climate change and highlight how women are particularly affected by global warming impacts.
Senate President, Sylvia Larsen, a new Ambassador for Sisters on the Planet said, “As we carry the next generation, women are naturally the world’s caretakers both literally and figuratively. It makes sense, then, that through our sisters on the planet we will gather and empower a state, national and global community of women who will work together to bring focus to the problem of global climate change and its effect on hunger, drought, disease, poverty and life as we know it on this earth for generations to come. Already, it’s been perilously ignored. I look forward to being part of the solution along with my sisters all over the globe.”
The adverse effects of climate change increasingly impact the world’s poorest communities due to their dependence on natural resources. Women, who constitute 70 percent of those living below the poverty line worldwide, undeniably bear the largest burden when disaster strikes. Along with taking care of their children and home, women are typically responsible for providing clean water, food, and fuel — the jobs most affected by changes in the weather — for their families and communities. Because of the gender inequalities that exist in most parts of the developing world, women must find these solutions without the education, opportunities, and resources available to men.
“Without thoughtful, inclusive, and aggressive planning now, low-income women around the world will be ill-equipped to adapt to climate change and its impact on their families”, said New Hampshire’s Speaker of the House, Terie Norelli. “Sisters on the Planet appeals to me because it understands and amplifies women as agents of change – both locally and globally.”
Oxfam’s work around the world has shown that adaptation and mitigation methods can prove invaluable to communities dealing with the harsh effects of global warming. Oxfam has employed a variety of highly effective techniques all over the world to protect and improve the lives of those vulnerable to the changing climate, including drought-resistant seeds and food banks in times of shortage, coastal tree barriers and raised homes during floods, and mosquito nets and health surveillance to prevent the spread of climate-related disease.
“We know how important it is to have women’s voices at the decision-making table”, said Senate Majority Leader, Maggie Hassan. “Sisters on the Planet represents a vital opportunity to ensure that decision makers around the world understand the human impact of global warming.”
Sisters on the Planet Ambassadors will advocate for legislation that provides women with the financial assistance and education that they need to design and implement these and other proven methods in their own communities.
New Hampshire Sisters on the Planet Ambassadors include:
- Eva Christensen, Founder, Earthtenders
- Martha Fuller Clark (NH-24), New Hampshire State Senator
- Maggie Hassan (NH-23), Majority Leader, New Hampshire State Senate
- Sylvia Larsen (NH-15), President of the New Hampshire State Senate
- Terie Norelli (NH-16), Speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
Oxfam America is an international relief and development organization that creates lasting solutions to poverty, hunger and injustice. Visit www.oxfamamerica.org/sisters and www.oxfamamerica.org/climate to learn more about Oxfam America and their Sisters on the Planet Climate Change initiatives.
Filed under: Community Service, NH assistance programs Tagged: | fight against climate change, Oxfam America, Sisters on the Planet Campaign
