Ecofeminist

Gristmill recently published a good post on thinking outside the Oxfam by Holly Richmond. It looks at a series of videos produced by Oxfam on climate change and poverty, and discusses in particular the effects on women, illustrating that climate change is a feminist issue.

The feminization of poverty and the links between women and climate change are topics I’ve touched upon in articles before and I am very concerned about the lack of action on this issue. While many Western countries are ignoring the facts of climate change, for poor and developing countries global warming is already causing serious and devastating effects on peoples’ livelihoods. It is now widely known that 70 per cent of the world’s poor are women. And big surprise, women are most likely to be the first affected, and most adversely so, by climate change.

Check out Oxfam’s campaign on climate change or Friends of the Earth climate change campaigns worldwide to see how you can help.

It’s about time. One of Australia’s largest supermarket chains has announced paid maternity leave for its workers, making it Australia’s largest private employer to do so.

As of July 2008, permanent employees who have worked for at least two years at Woolworths (including Australian Woolworths divisions Big W, Dick Smith Electronics, Dan Murphy’s and Safeway) will be able to take up to eight weeks paid maternity leave, and up to two years leave from work.

The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has welcomed Woolworth’s new plans and ACTU President Sharan Burrow said “it shows that the company values its women workers and wants to hold onto them.

I wonder if more big businesses will follow suit? With a little more pressure, the Rudd government might just have to work on a national parental leave program sooner than they think.

I was just reading a post over on Shakesville, What’s Your Philosophy, about a test Melissa found at Vesper’s Escape. I was curious so I did the quiz too. I figured I’d get a high percentage for existentialism but it surprised me that utilitarianism came up high too. Anyway, here’s my results:

Have you heard about the MisFortune500?

MisFortune500 is a project challenging corporate practices and illegal action against women worldwide. MisFortune500 is a project of the Women’s Environment and Development Organization, a great organisation* I mentioned in my post on the top three ecofeminist organisations.

A parody of the Fortune500, the MisFortune500 list exposes the corporate practices that “violate women’s rights, threatens lives and livelihoods, and destroy the environment.” The MisFortune500 list includes the details of company misconduct and the company’s response.

The MisFortune500 website also highlights good practices of companies that are working to stop discrimination against women in the workplace. There are news updates, information on policy and governance, ways to get involved, advocacy tools and featured publications as well.

I think MisFortune500 is a great initiative, so I hope you take a minute to check out the MisFortune500 website.

*Yes, I will write ‘organisation’ with an ’s’ whenever I can, that’s how we spell it in Australia (where I live). Of course, when an organisation spells its name with a ‘z’ (mostly those based in the US) then I’ll write ‘organization’. Okie!

Hooray!

The Brisbane International Feminist Conference will be held from 2 to 5 September 2008 at the Greek Convention Centre in West End. From their website:

“The Brisbane International Feminist Conference 2008 aims to further feminist dialogues about the status of women and the continued violence against women and children as human rights violations.”

The first day of the conference will be an Australian Indigenous women only forum, with a focus on the Federal government’s recent community interventions and how Indigenous women have been affected. Registration for Indigenous women to attend this forum is free.

Key topics at the conference:

• Feminism
• Women’s Health
• Legal Issues
• Violence Against Women and children
• Women in Poverty/ Women in Work
• Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Women’s Issues
• Global Perspectives
• Women in Prison/ Criminalized Women’s Issues
• Sexuality

The conference organisers are currently calling for abstracts and they are also interested in feminist artists who would like to perform over the four-day event.

Conference registrations are on a sliding scale and early bird registrations are available until 31 May.

You can find out more about the Brisbane International Feminist Conference and how to register for this event on the conference website.

As a Brisbane resident, I’m really excited about this conference and I encourage everyone to go along!

Who’s coming?

Registrations are now open for The Camp for Climate Action to be held from 10 to 15 July, 2008 in Newcastle, New South Wales.

The Australian Climate Camp is one of seven being held around the world in July and August 2008.

Everyone is welcome to participate in five days of workshops and grassroots direct action aimed at shutting down the world’s biggest coal port in Newcastle.

Friends of the Earth Australia, Rising Tide, the Australian Student Environment Network and individuals from local climate action groups have already signed up to be involved.

Check out the climate camp website to get involved!

The new federal budget has fueled debate in Australia over allocations to fight climate change and water shortages.

New Scientist reported that the Australian government has “made good” on its November 2007 election promise to tackle climate change and the water crisis.

From the approximately A$300 billion reserved for spending in the new budget, $2.3 billion has been allocated over four years for measures to reduce carbon emissions.

ABC News reported on the Rudd government’s new budget, saying that Treasurer Wayne Swan and Environment Minister Peter Garrett announced measures on alternative energy and greenhouse gas emissions, including restrictions on rebates for household solar energy systems, $300 million for the introduction of household “green loans” and funding for a “one-stop-shop” website for people to access Government environment initiatives.

Climate Change Minister Penny Wong also announced the allocation of $37 million for the planned Emissions Trading Scheme.

But political groups and environmental organisations have voiced their disappointment with the new budget.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has called climate change the greatest moral, economic and environmental challenge of our time.

While the Rudd government has delivered on its election promise to fight climate change and the new budget is a step in the right direction on tackling it, political and environmental groups say that it is simply not enough and the government must go further in its climate change efforts.

Australian Greens Senator Christine Milne today wrote on GreensBlog about “the climate budget betrayal.”

The Rudd government’s first budget has allocated some funding to water and climate change initiatives, but as Ms Milne pointed out, the money allocated to defence is 40 times the amount provided for fighting climate change.

Stephen Campbell from Greenpeace told ABC News that the new budget has missed opportunities to invest more money in alternative energy and it is disappointed with the lack of measures to attack climate change.

“In its first budget, the Rudd Government had a golden opportunity to show that it was serious about dealing with climate change. Instead it has let us down by failing to invest heavily in the solutions that we have at our fingertips - renewable energy such as solar, wind and geothermal,” Mr Campbell said.

Australian Conservation Foundation President Ian Lowe said of the new budget:

“It has delivered on election commitments, but these do not go nearly far enough to restore the Murray-Darling system or prevent dangerous climate change.”

Anna Rose wrote How Green is Your Budget? at New Matilda that we could expect further funding for climate change after the release of new research such as the Garnaut Review and the Wilkins Review. With a budget surplus of $23.6 billion for 2008-2009, Anna Rose concluded:

“There’s still time for the Government’s spending priorities to reflect the reality of our climate emergency, but we certainly can’t afford to wait until next year’s budget.”

Now, the Australian community will have to wait and hope that the government will act on research results later in the year and deliver on strong 2020 targets for cutting carbon emissions.

Ecofeminism isn’t really a *hot* topic in the news. So where can you find out more about the work of ecofeminist organisations? Below are my favourite ecofeminist organisations and their respective websites.

1. Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO)

The Women’s Environment & Development Organization is an international organization that advocates for women’s equality in global policy. WEDO works closely with key global forums (including the United Nations) and “advocates for and seeks to empower women as decision makers to achieve economic, social and gender justice, a healthy, peaceful planet and human rights for all.”

2. Women’s Voices for the Earth (WVE)

Women’s Voices for the Earth is a U.S., women-centered environmental health and justice organisation based in Missoula, Montana. WVE “works to eliminate or substantially reduce environmental toxics impacting human health and to increase women’s participation in environmental decision-making.”

3. Women and Life on Earth (WLOE)

Women and Life On Earth is focused on cutting through the blockade of mainstream media using a multi-lingual website that provides a centre for “information, analysis and action” on peace, ecology and global justice. WLOE has offices in Berlin and Bonn, Germany. The website can be viewed in English, French, German and Spanish.

I’d love to hear about your favourite websites for individuals, groups or organizations involved in ecofeminism in the comments!

Professor Anu Muhammad will lead a Voices from Bangladesh speaking tour in Australia throughout May to talk about climate change in Bangladesh and the proposed Phulbari coal mine in northern Bangladesh.

Hosted by Aid/Watch, Professor Anu Muhammad will discuss the impact of climate change in Bangladesh and the struggle to prevent the Asian Development Bank from funding the Phulbari coal mine and other destructive, climate-intensive development projects.

According to Aid/Watch, Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change. Aid/Watch reports that a one metre sea level rise is expected to flood 25 to 50 per cent of the Bangladesh, with much of the south already experiencing water-logging and salinity problems.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has so far ignored the climate change concerns and is considering funding what Aid/Watch says would be one of the world’s largest coal mines. If approved, the Phulbari coal mine is expected to affect nearly 500,000 people and could result in widespread environmental destruction.

NGOs, community groups and individuals around the world have opposed the Phulbari coal mine. The Voices of Bangladesh speaking tour is supported by Friends of the Earth Australia, Rising Tide, Australian Ethical and the Mineral Policy Institute. Admission is free, though donations to Aid/Watch Bangladesh Campaign would be appreciated.

Voices from Bangladesh Speaking Tour - Dates and Venues

Sydney – Monday 12 May 2008, 6:30pm, Sydney Mechanic School of Arts, 280 Pitt Street, Sydney.
Brisbane – Wednesday 14 May 2008, 6:30pm, Ahimsa House, 26 Horan Street, West End
Canberra – Thursday 15 May 2008, 6.30pm, USU conference centre, Building 1, Kirinari Street, Canberra.
Katoomba - Sunday 18 May 2008, 4pm, Katoomba Youth Hostel, 207 Katoomba Steet, Katoomba.
Muswellbrook – Monday 19 May 2008, 7pm, Muswellbrook RSL, 113 Bridge Street, Muswellbrook.
Newcastle – Tuesday 20 May, 6pm, Royal Exchange, 32-34 Bolton Street, Newcastle.
Melbourne – Friday 23 May 2008, 6.30pm, Northcote High School, St Georges Rd, Northcote.

In addition to Professor Anu Muhammad’s Australian speaking tour, Aid/Watch has launched a letter writing appeal to support the people of Phulbari in opposing the Phulbari coal mine.

Aid/Watch is asking supporters to write to Australia’s Governor to the ADB, Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan and Australia’s ADB Executive Director Phil Bowen requesting that they show leadership by opposing this project at the ADB board meeting on 3 June 2008.

The Rudd government is making budget cuts to funding for Working Women’s Centres run in Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory in Australia.

Working Women’s Centres are not-for-profit, community organisations that help working women or women who wish to work, in particular disadvantaged women who are unable to get support elsewhere.

The centres provide industrial relations advice including information on basic rights, enterprise bargaining, discrimination, workplace bullying and family friendly workplace practices. They also assist women to move from work for the dole programs into jobs.

The Greens industrial relations spokesperson Senator Rachel Siewert said in a media release on 26 April that the the government has left “vulnerable women workers without access to advice to negotiate these difficult and unfair laws. This situation is made worse for those women caught up in the welfare to work regime which this new Government is not in a hurry to change.”

“There is enormous unmet need from people requiring appropriate advice on their employment entitlements and conditions. If this Government’s rhetoric about supporting vulnerable workers is to be believed it should be increasing funding to these types of services not closing them down,” said Senator Siewert.

ABC News reported on 5 May that the Northern Territory Working Women’s Centre said it was one of the first victims of the government’s “budget razor gang.”

Centre head Rachael Uebergang told ABC News that the service may have to close after she received a letter telling them there is no more money coming from the Commonwealth, which until now has provided 60 per cent of the centre’s funding.

A spokesperson for the government’s Industrial Relations Minister Julia Gillard said the funding is being withdrawn because it was part of the previous Howard government’s $20 million employment advisory program, which is being scrapped.

The Rudd government says all of the organisations affected will be considered in this month’s federal Budget.

The Australian Services Union (ASU) recently reported on concerns that Working Women’s Centres may close due to discontinued Federal funding, and those centres that remain open will operate at reduced services for clients.

The ASU asks supporters of Women’s Working Centres to send an email to Julia Gilliard asking her to stop the funding cuts.