Women at the front can help defeat global warming, say leaders

Cities will be the battleground and women can be effective warriors on the frontlines in the fight against climate change, activists and leaders said on Monday.

Investing in the education and leadership of women and girls will provide a much-needed boost in efforts to slow global warming, said attendees at the Women4Climate conference organised by C40, a global alliance of cities, in Mexico City.

"For thousands of years we've been investing in the education of men, in the professional capacities of men, in their rise to positions of leadership and decisions," Christiana Figueres, former head of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), told the group.

"We haven't done this investment with women," said Figueres, who now leads "Mission 2020," a global initiative to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

The Women4Climate conference brought together mayors, business leaders and leaders working to curb climate change. It was the second such conference held since world leaders agreed in Paris in 2015 on a goal of slowing the rise in average global temperatures.

"It is clear the battle will be fought especially in urban areas," said Patricia Espinosa, the current UNFCCC head.

"It's clear if we want to face climate change, women and girls from all the world should be central actors," she said. "We have little time left."

Extreme weather related to climate change is hitting urban areas, said Salt Lake City, Utah Mayor Jackie Biskupski.

She said the western U.S. city is warming at double the global rate, affecting the snowfall it depends upon for water.

Rome's Mayor Virginia Raggi said her city planned to ban diesel-fueled cars from its centre, plant thousands of trees and invest in zero-emissions buses.

"Cities can do a lot to make a difference on climate, but just like women, cities can't be expected to change the world all by themselves," said Andrea Reimer, a Vancouver, Canada city official.