More than just empty talk: we need to listen to women in the fight to limit climate change

On International Women's Day, Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, president of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and UN high-level champion on climate change, writes for Politico about the importance of women's involvement in climate change decision-making. Such engagement is crucial, she says, especially as "climate change and nature loss affect rural and indigenous women more severely than other demographics." Al Mubarak, who is from the United Arab Emirates, writes that she hopes to inspire other women "in West Asia, North Africa and the world". He also explains some of his country's priorities for hosting the COP 28 conference, such as progress on Sharm el-Sheikh's adaptation programme.

Separately, "big reading" in Financial Times addresses the challenge of "rebuilding Pakistan" after the floods that hit last year. He explains that the nation can be seen as a funding test “loss and damage", which developed countries agreed in principle to provide at the last COP climate summit in Egypt. "However, channeling climate finance to Pakistan – and ensuring that it is used properly – is complicated, not least because of the country's ongoing political instability and economic mismanagement," the article states. The article also discusses calls for reform of multilateral development banks, such as the World Bank, to encourage more spending on climate support for developing countries.

Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, "Carbon Brief"