Subhechcha Ganguly 
“To uplift a society, to educate and empower its women is to empower the very foundation of that society. The progress of a nation is intricately linked to the progress of its women, for only when women are given their rightful place in society, can the true potential of that society be realized. Sustainable development, social harmony, and economic prosperity cannot be achieved without ensuring that women are active and equal participants in every sphere of life.”
— Dr. Rajendra Prasad
The 21st century poses a major challenge, worldwide and specially in India to meet the emerging Environmental crisis and to build a deep commitment to the ethics for sustainable Development through multiple programs and gender equity. Sustainable development should be a key objective for all national policies, and should aim at the continuous improvement in the quality of life on earth of both current and future generations. It is about safeguarding the earth’s capacity to support life in all its diversity, based on the principles of democracy, rule of law and respect for fundamental rights including freedom and equal opportunities for all. However it needs to be realized that Sustainable development cannot be achieved without gender equality and the inclusivity of women empowerment. Women empowerment is a key factor for achieving sustainable economic growth, social development and environmental sustainability.Gender equality has a significant role to play in facilitating equal oppurtunities,rights and obligations for women,thereby empowering her to be an instrument of positive change around.
Women despite having the expertise, intellect and wisdom to handle issues and challenges pertaining to sustainable development but have been overlooked and underestimated for years.we need to encourage an integrated approach which would aim at rectifying gender imbalances and focus on empowering women to undertake this poignant issue.Women should be involved in a holistic manner for .Incorporating women in sustainable economic growth,social development and environmental stability will lead to the creation of a nation based on freedom,meaningful democracy and equality
However, we cannot take for granted that gender equality and women empowerment in the field of climate change and sustainable development will happen automatically for there needs to be a sensitization for upholding and fostering gender perspectives based on equality.women have been overlooked for years, and are now demanding that their voices be heard. In short true sustainable development is that development that is pro-people, pro-nature, pro-job, pro-woman and one which does not threaten future generation.Reviewing the targets outlined in SDG goals one can have a clear picture of the emphasis on upholding women
“Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world.”
— Hillary Clinton
Targets outlined under Goal 5 of SDG upholding protection and inclusion of women
•End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere.
•Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation.
•Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation.
•Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies .
•Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision making in political, economic and public life.
•Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights .
•Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws.
•Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women.
•Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels.
Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary-General:“When women thrive, all of society benefits, and succeeding generations are given a better start in life.”
Our planet Earth is unique because of its biosphere and ecosystem and life has been possible here because of a considerable balance in water, air and Soil: Without this balance earth would have been just another lifeless and barren planet. In the current scenario because of incorrect tapping of natural resources in the name of development there is a serious implication of imbalance in biosphere which is increasing at an alarming speed endangering the very existence of life on this planet. To pave way for a future that saves our planet there needs to be a holistic integration of gender, women need to be empowered to fully participate in identifying solutions, developing strategies and enacting policies to achieve sustainable development.We need to recognize this discrepancy and acknowledge the long term contributions of women to peace and development. Political participation of women is required for the protection of economic resources and preservation of biodiversity.Investing in women’s lives is an investment in sustainable development, in human rights, in future generations – and consequently in our own long-term national interests.Women are the compassionate caregivers and managers of natural resources and are highly recommended for being included in evolving policy framework for sustainable development and decision making.As India aims for transition on the path of sustainable development and focus on green economy it is critical to accelerate women participation and women empowerment.
Christiana Figueres, former Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change:“Climate change isn’t gender-neutral. Women bear the brunt of the impact. Empowering women is one of the most effective solutions to addressing climate change.”
Construction of Large dams on our rivers is a crucial issue of our time resulting in soil erosion which is a threat to civilization in the recent times. Today in India a large part of irrigated land is supplied by water from giant Modern Dams. But every major dam in India has displaced people from fertile river valleys. The masculinist mind by wanting to tame and control every river is ignorant of nature’s ways and is in fact sowing the seeds of large scale desertification and famine. ‘Dams create dead rivers, and dead rivers cannot support life’.The Kabini Dam and Tehri Dam in India involved the felling of 12,000 hectares each of forests for settling displaced persons. Narmada River Dam project in India is world’s largest planned disaster. About 1 million people have been dispossessed of their homes and farm lands, while big business interests and land- owners gain from the massive dam scheme which is targeted to provide irrigation and hydroelectricity The artificial lake reservoir is likely to flood as much land as it brings under irrigation, causing massive deforestation, salination of land and death of rare animals. It increases the risk of land slides and earthquakes.
Narmada Bachao Andolan (Save Narmada Movement) spearheaded by activist Medha Patkar and Arundhati Roy supported by many women activists including educationalists, journalists and scientists for the cause of rehabilitation of the people of 245 villages which this dam targeted to submerge. Narmada dam project is a glaring example of the wrong concept of development planning pursued by our government who in the name of management of Environmental Resources closed their eyes on the social and Environmental effects of their planning.
For decades, Medha Patkar and Narmada Bachao Andolan tried to stop the destruction of local ecosystems and the displacement of about a million people, shifting the political focus to the promotion of alternatives securing the interests of the marginalized and the environment.There is no other way but to redefine ‘modernity’ and the goals of development, to widen it to a sustainable, just society based on harmonious, non-exploitative relationships’.Medha Patkar
Women have been the back bone of the NBA, particularly local women who have taken up several important responsibilities in the movement including mobilisation, leading rallies from the front, dialogue with the government, undertaking fasts, being part of the dedicated squad of the NBA for programs like Jalsamarpan .
‘If you always have consciousness of gender equality at the heart of your policies, then you will have much more democratic, much more sustainable development.’Isabella Lovin’
Peasant women, historically have been the resource managers since ages. In India peasant women from different parts of the country identified the core issues affecting their livelihood and environment as Land degradation, Poor maintenance of land records, deforestation, problem of water resource Management, lack of policy implementation and over exploitation of land resource. They highlighted the role of collective action and motivated for group action to sustain their livelihood and also to save the environment. In one of the action project area in Bankura district of West Bengal, women mobilized around wasteland development. The women’s group evolved a project of reclaiming wasteland and converting them into plantations .Women have all the essential potential to utilize the natural resources and to manage them to their optimum utilization and sustainable use but despite this they are not given the desired control over the management of resources independently.
A significant environmentalist movement inspired by women was the Chipko movement of 1973(Women tree-huggers in India). Its name comes from a Hindi word meaning to stick. The movement was an act of defiance against the state government’s permission given to a corporation for commercial logging. Women of the village resisted and agitated, embracing trees to prevent their felling, to safeguard their lifestyles which were dependent on the forests. Organized by a non-governmental organization that Chandi Prasad led, the Chipko movement adopted the slogan”ecology is permanent economy.”The women embracing the trees did not tag their action as feminist activism; but a movement that demonstrated resistance against oppressionWhile the axemen were cutting the trees, martyr Amrita Devi hugged one of the trees and sacrificed her life. This is because in Jodhpur each child had a tree that they could talk to .The Chipko movement ushered in the collective mobilisation of women and the need to incorporate women in sustainable development of forest reserves. Vandana Shiva was another woman activist who decided to become a volunteer for the environmentalist movement. She spent every vacation doing padayatra, documenting the deforestation and the work of the forest activists,promoting environment conservation and sensitizing and organizing women towards environmental protection .
The Green Belt movement was one of the biggest in women and environment history. Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai founded this movement on the World Environment Day in June 1977. The starting ceremony was very simple few women planted seven trees in Maathai’s backyard. By 2005, 30 million trees had been planted by participants in the Green Belt movement on public and private lands. The Green Belt movement aims to bring environmental restoration along with society’s economic growth. This movement led by Maathai promoted the concept of green economy.
Thus the Environment movement is a by-product of popular participation . Process of globalization of economy and liberalization pose many problems in the natural resource management . It is essential to foster greater gender equality to ensure economic growth,social development and environmental sustainability. Gender equality is a meaningful right. Fulfilling this right can provide a solution to deal with major issues such as economic crisis ,lack of proper health care facilities, climate change, violence against women , escalating conflicts,national development etc.Women are not only more affected by these problems, but also possess ideas and leadership to solve them. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development embodies a roadmap for progress that is sustainable and leaves no one behind.Thus only by ensuring the rights of women and empowering them can we make sustainable development more meaningful and transform targets into achievement. Achieving sustainable development requires the active participation and empowerment of women, implementing policies that promote gender equality, investing in women’s education and economic opportunities, and enhancing their access to resources and technology.
Supporting women-led community initiatives and ensuring their leadership in environmental movements are crucial. Strengthening legal protection and addressing harmful societal norms will create a safer environment for women to contribute.. Empowering women is not just a matter of justice but a necessity for achieving comprehensive and lasting progress in environmental sustainability.
As Wangari Maathai, founder of the Green Belt Movement, said, “When we plant trees, we plant the seeds of peace and hope.” Let us plant the seeds of empowerment and equality to foster a sustainable future for all.
