The Jožef Stefan Institute, in collaboration with the U.S. Embassy in Slovenia, hosted a lecture on the “Role of Women in Developing Solutions to Climate Change”

On February 11, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (IDWGIS) was celebrated. This year’s theme is the contribution of women scientists to the development of solutions that support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

On this occasion, the Jožef Stefan Institute in cooperation with the U.S. Embassy in Slovenia held a lecture by Dr. Aubrey R. Paris, Policy Advisor on Gender, Climate Change & Innovation in the Secretary’s Office of Global Women’s Issues (S/GWI) at the U.S. Department of State, where she leads policy and public diplomacy efforts related to the nexus of gender and climate change.

Dr. Paris presented the domino effect of the climate crisis, which has particularly significant effects on women and girls in fragile or unstable regions, such as an increased risk of gender-based violence and displacement. Moreover, she described the two-pronged approach to the gender-climate nexus, which includes both addressing the disproportionate effects of climate change on women and girls and empowering women and girls as leaders and change agents in the fight against the climate crisis.

Through a presentation of practical examples of women-led technological and programmatic solutions, Dr. Paris emphasized the contribution of women and girls worldwide to addressing challenges directly or indirectly linked to climate change and environmental degradation.

Lastly, she stressed the importance of building networks of women and girls across countries, regions, or globally to share best practices and replicate effective solutions.