Two: Women & Sustainability

Creating enduring and environmentally sustainable modes of living, working and being are of immediate concern to both India and Australia. This means considering how our actions affect us in the short-term, and how they will impact generations to come. Acknowledging that it is young people who have the most to lose from inadequate action, coupled with a new era of technology-based activism, has opened up a unique platform for youth to voice their opinions and contribute to the dialogue. They are now not only passively participating in, but actively leading conversations on sustainability. Young women and girls are at the helm of international dialogues and actions. We have seen Greta Thunberg’s rally for action on climate change amongst school-aged youth reach an international platform at the United Nations, and lesser known Australian Izzy Raj-Seppings as part of eight teenagers’ lawsuit against the federal government to halt the expansion of a coalmine in New South Wales. In India, there is a lineage of significant female environmentalists and political activists whose life works have gone into reducing ecological degradation and decay; Sunita Narain, Vandana Shiva, Maneka Gandhi, Sugathakumari and Sumaira Abdulali are but a few. Leading Together explores actions from the local to the international, making connections between young women working for environmental sustainability within and across our two countries. Let’s share our successes, pose questions and build collaborations.