More Than A Magazine, A Movement
Vice President Harris and Israeli President Isaac Herzog just announced $70 million in funding—half from the U.S. and half from Israel—for climate-smart agriculture to capture, store, use and protect water resources in the Middle East and Africa. And it’s no accident a project like this was put forward by the first female vice president in United States history who is a woman of color.
Compounded crises—including conflict, climate and COVID-19—are driving unprecedented levels of human suffering, economic vulnerability and forced displacement.
Tuesday, June 20, we celebrate World Refugee Day—honoring the strength and bravery of those who have been forced to flee their homes. With the 2023 theme of World Refugee Day, “Hope away from home,” we must question whether we, as humanitarians, are effectively using our resources to create an environment for refugees to become self-sufficient.
A shift to the Indigenous perspectives, values and knowledge—one that prioritizes a harmonious relationship with the natural world—can inspire real, impactful and equitable action on the climate and conservation. While Indigenous Peoples and local communities account for just 5 percent of the world’s population, they own or manage at least 25 percent of the world’s land surface, 40 percent of protected areas, and steward an astounding 80 percent of biodiversity on earth.
Indigenous people have historically practiced land management and conservation methods that scientists now say are crucial for tackling the climate crisis and enriching biodiversity. As we celebrate International Mother Earth Day, we’d be wise to let Indigenous People and their intergenerational and holistic understanding of the natural world guide us in protecting and replenishing nature.
On Sept. 27, 1962, Rachel Carson published Silent Spring and founded the modern environmental movement.
Following World War II, the United Stated embarked on a love affair with chemicals. When Carson published Silent Spring at 55, she was dying from breast cancer. Her book alerted the world to the dangers of the toxic chemicals that may have caused her disease. Carson died on April 14, 1964, at 56, never knowing to what extent her work would be vindicated or glimpsing its long-term impact.
The world cannot address the biggest crisis facing humanity without the full inclusion of women’s voices, work and wisdom. This starts by investing in women-led climate projects.
Our sisters on the frontlines of the climate crisis are doing all they can to protect our Mother Earth. What they need from us and the world is to support and acknowledge their efforts and ensure that their voices are at the front and center of decision-making tables about climate action.
Ms. celebrates Earth Day by featuring the work of a diverse body of activists who have founded groups that aim to make outdoor spaces, pursuits and environmental activism welcoming and safe for all.
From organizations that focus on women and girls, people of color, the queer community, the formerly incarcerated, children from economically challenged families, veterans and those who are disabled, here are 20 groups you might enjoy joining or supporting as we work towards such a future.
Almost two years to the day of its last introduction, progressive leaders are reinvigorating a push to pass the Environmental Justice For All Act, a potential landmark bill that aims to address environmental disparities in majority Black, Latino and Indigenous communities.
Low-income Americans and people of color are fed up with the environmental racism that has been practiced by government at all levels.
Women and girls account for 80 percent of the people displaced by climate change. In Somalia, laws that limit women’s abilities to own assets mean they have less access to economic opportunities and tend to depend more on natural resources for their livelihoods, which makes them more vulnerable to displacement.
Once women are displaced, not only do they have to survive, they have to care for their families, all while evading the heightened risk of violence.
From the January/February 1989 issue of Ms. magazine:
“One of the most interesting (and least reported on) developments of the last few years has been the integration of feminist and ecological concerns. … In an ecofeminist society, no one would have power over anyone else, because there would be an understanding that we’re all part of the interconnected web of life.”