Women at the forefront of climate change

In Episode 19 of The Decarbonisation Dialogue, we sit down with Emma Holland-Lindsay from the National Federation of Women’s Institutes (WI) to explore how women are leading the way on climate action -and why we need more of them at the decision-making table.

Founded in 1915, the WI has grown to become the UK’s largest women’s organisation, with more than 180,000 members across more than 5,000 groups. 

At its heart, the WI is about community, connection, and creating change. Today, climate change is at the top of its agenda.

Head of public affairs, Emma Holland-Lindsay, leads its campaigning and influencing work, advocating for climate justice and ensuring women's voices are heard in the rooms where decisions are made.

“Our members are deeply rooted in their communities,” Emma said. “Those local connections are critical to achieving real change on climate.”

Emma’s passion for public engagement started early in her career, working in Parliament and across the charity sector. What continues to drive her is the belief that change happens from the ground up and that everyone has a role to play.

Climate change, she says, can often feel overwhelming, too global, too complex, too abstract. But the WI’s approach is to bring it closer to home.

She said: “That is about supporting our members with the tools to go out and talk about climate change in their communities and talk to decision makers about why that is important to them. With climate it is a huge issue, and it feel often too big to solve.

“What our WI members have done is make it really local. So, what we can do to make our community more resilient to climate change, whether that is to do with planting more trees, to deal with extreme temperatures, how we might handle flooding better when we know extremes of weather are coming along. 

“Linking up within the communities to think about what positive steps we can take locally.That has proved quite powerful when talking to decision makers.”

The WI’s recent campaign, Fair Green Future, aims to empower people to take climate action and to ensure that fairness and equity are embedded in that action. Because climate change doesn’t impact everyone equally.

Emma said: “We are concerned that climate does impact different groups differently and particularly has a huge impact on women.

“Globally women are on the forefront of climate change, most often providing for their families, whether it’s securing food, reliant on agricultural work, and they are particularly vulnerable.

“In the UK Women and other vulnerable groups are feeling the impacts most heavily, whether it is extreme heat, rising food prices, women are more likely to live in poverty.

“Our campaign is really about highlighting those issues and pushing really strongly for government, national and internationally to be including a whole range of groups in the discussion and the debate and the decisions about the solutions.”

Emma is keen to shift the way we talk about climate change, from one of fear and loss, to one of opportunity and progress.

“What’s missing in the UK debate is the sense of benefit,” she said.

“Better-insulated homes mean lower energy bills. Cleaner transport means better air quality. These are improvements people can feel.”

Partnering with initiatives like Larger Us and Climate Outreach, the WI is helping its members and the public find new ways to talk about climate. Not with scientific jargon, but with real, lived experiences. Conversations at the school gate or the local post office are where change can begin.

“It’s not about persuading someone or debating facts. It’s about opening up a space where people can connect and reflect on what they’re already seeing.”

The WI’s influence goes beyond UK borders. From helping establish the UN to being a founding member of the Fairtrade Foundation, the WI has a long history of international advocacy.

Today, that work continues in partnership with organisations like Care International, pushing for women’s representation in global climate negotiations.

Emma adds: “One of the things we have done in the climate space is push really hard, alongside many other organisations, for women to have an equal place at the table, because unfortunately when it comes to international negotiations, women’s voices are still not represented.”

What inspires Emma most in her role? The WI members themselves.

“They are the heart of everything we do,” she says. “They’re passionate, they speak truth to power, and they show up for their communities time and time again.”

At its core, the WI believes that every woman - no matter her background - has the power to create change. Whether it’s in her home, her community, or on the floor of Parliament, change begins with a conversation, a commitment, and a belief that a better future is possible.

“At the WI, throughout history we’ve always started from the perspective that every woman can make a change, whether that is in your own home, your community, whether that is getting yourself elected to parliament, as some of our members have in the past,” Emma said.

“We believe every woman can be a change maker, and you can’t be at the WI for long without that rubbing off on you!”

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