W+ Standard White Paper - Carbon Markets and Gender Equality

From WOCAN and the W+ Advisory Council - At present, both public and private sector institutions are aiming to increase their impact on two pressing global challenges: climate change and gender inequality. A new initiative, the Taskforce on Scaling Voluntary Carbon Markets,2 led by some of the world’s largest financial institutions and corporates demonstrates the corporate commitment to achieve Net Zero GHG Emissions Goals. To succeed, however, these efforts must incorporate a strong focus on sustainable development, and recognize the critical contributions made by women (which underly the achievement of all Sustainable Development Goals).

This white paper posits that if we don’t address gender and climate jointly, we undermine both agendas. By integrating the two, we can amplify the impact of both. The cost of inaction is high. To reach the scale required for fast climate results, we cannot afford to exclude the knowledge, skills and networks of women by neglecting their contributions to tackle climate change, nor ignore the threats climate change poses to global gains in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment.