This week, we are celebrating the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere with emerging and powerful interventions and actions for water, land, communities, and Mother Earth.

We are bearing witness to the transitioning of seasons, and the beauty that Nature offers us all. We are motivated as ever to work together in collaboration with global diverse movements to ensure a thriving and healthy future! Please see below for updates and actions on recent campaigns and programming.

“Gender equity and women’s leadership can no longer be an afterthought when drafting climate policy. For decades climate justice movements have been showing how women’s leadership is necessary for climate solutions. Improving predictive models by including gender equity as a driver of change is necessary if we want to create and implement effective solutions to the climate crisis.” Osprey Orielle Lake, WECAN Executive Director

On June 20, at the 2022 Scenarios Forum, a team from The Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN), in affiliation with the UC Davis ModLab, delivered a presentation on how gender equity regarding women's leadership, agency, and political and social participation throughout society significantly reduces CO2 emissions. The Scenarios Forum is a conference bringing together climate scientists, social scientists, and energy systems modelers engaged in developing the Shared Socio-Economic Pathways (SSPs), which are a set of predictive climate models and data that inform reports by the IPCC. Global policymakers and decision-makers rely upon the IPCC reports to make data-informed decisions regarding climate policies and plans.

Watch the full presentation here or by clicking the image below!

WECAN Executive Director, Osprey Orielle Lake was the lead author of this presentation. Co-authors included Katherine Quaid (Cayuse/Nez Perce/Paiute), WECAN Communications Coordinator; Samara Hayley Steele, PhD Candidate in the Science and Technology Studies DE at UC Davis; Alisha Chan, undergraduate researcher at UC Davis.

Our collective efforts and ongoing organizing and advocacy to uplift women and gender-diverse leaders is essential in decision making spaces to ensure protection for our communities and the planet. At the Scenarios Forum WECAN was honored to present a feminist analysis in the context of scientific research that supports our broad global movements, and we are working to ensure that this intervention is a doorway to affirm gender is included in modeling for future scenarios which impacts climate policies moving forward. This presentation was inspired by the work of our collective movements globally and we hope it can contribute to the growing calls and actions to uplift gender-just climate solutions!

Right now, Indigenous communities are marching throughout Ecuador to demand action for Indigenous peoples and other vulnerable communities. This is in response to current President Lasso’s failing neoliberal policies, which have placed great economic pressure on Ecuador’s most vulnerable communities. Indigenous communities are facing shortages in healthcare, education and job security as they defend their ancestral lands from the illegal mining, poaching and oil extraction incentivized by Lasso’s failed policies.

Historically, Indigenous movements have succeeded in bringing massive change on a national and global scale. Now they are once again gaining strength across Ecuador, demonstrating unity in resistance and calling for international support in this critical moment in history.

Join us in standing in solidarity with the Indigenous movement by signing the petition in support of the 10 demands from the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE).

Hundreds of water protectors and other defendants are currently facing criminal charges in Minnesota for standing in defense of the water, the climate, and the treaty rights of the Anishinaabeg people during resistance efforts to stop the Line 3 pipeline.

On June 22, dozens of Indigenous leaders, backed by celebrities, as well as over 100 organization and business leaders, including WECAN, released a letter asking the Walz-Flanagan Administration, county prosecutors, and Minnesota leadership to drop the charges against water protectors!

Help us spread the word and urge folks to take action by signing the petition and signing up to the Flood the Courts mailing list to get updates about in-person and remote court support.

In June, pipeline company TC Energy released a statement officially terminating the Keystone XL Pipeline!

We are celebrating this news, after decades of collective organizing between Tribal Nations, farmers, ranchers, and environmental and climate groups, including years of work at WECAN, all aimed at stopping the pipeline to protect land, water, communities, and our global climate.

Ongoing efforts to stop fossil fuel infrastructure globally continue to gain power and momentum. We must remain vigilant and continue to stand alongside water protectors and land defenders to protect people and planet.

Join People vs. Fossil Fuels for the national premiere of Dear President Biden, a new documentary short film by Jon Bowermaster. The film shares the stories of leaders from the People vs. Fossil Fuels coalition and the fossil fuel resistance movement who are fighting to protect communities, water, and public health. Dear President Biden spotlights the urgency of the climate crisis and President Biden's responsibility to stand up to the fossil fuel industry and take bold action.

The screening of this 35-minute short film will be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker, Jon Bowermaster, and the organizers and climate activists featured in the film.

WECAN is honored to be a member of the People vs. Fossil Fuels coalition and participate in the policy advocacy working group.

The Women's Earth and Climate Action Network is seeking several new "Women Speak" Research Interns to join our dynamic team of women working for climate justice, systemic change and women's leadership in climate change solutions.

"Women Speak" Research Interns will work remotely from their home region, with a fantastic team from around the world - to conduct pointed research, summary writing, and data upload to contribute to the WECAN storytelling and research database - ' Women Speak: Stories, Case Studies and Solutions From The Frontlines of Climate Change’.

This is a 5 hour a week remote volunteer position which may be carried out independently. If you have any questions please reach out to katherine@wecaninternational.org.

Osprey Orielle Lake will be joining over 300 speakers for the upcoming Webit Impact Forum panel, "Global Collaboration and Solutions for Sustainable Planet."

Learn more about the speakers and the agenda here.