In 1920, women received the right to vote. Since then, women gained independence by attending college, gaining a career, and exercising autonomy over every facet of their life.
Women’s rights are extending even further by giving women a voice in a variety of issues. #MeToo and other similar movements are encouraging women to speak up and fight for what they believe in.
This is why it should be no surprise that more women are getting involved in climate change.
Ever since 1950, carbon dioxide levels have been increasing at alarming rates. More people are understanding the effects of global warming, thanks to influential people such as these women.
Here are ten famous female scientists who are cracking down on climate change.
1. Sharan Burrow
Many know Sharan Burrow as a huge influence in the Australian trade union movement.
She’s the head of the International Trade Union Confederation. This is the largest trade union federation, which has 325 affiliated trade organizations. She currently represents 176 million workers in 160 countries.
What does this have to do with climate change? This past May, Burrow renewed the Unions4Climate movement, offering insight on how vital environmental sustainability is for the world’s workers.
2. Barbara Buchner
Barbara Buchner leads the Climate Policy Initiative’s work on global climate finance. She holds a PhD in Economics.
She currently holds the position as one of the 20 most influential women in climate change.
This role is important because the world is now paying more attention to climate change. There is a lot of money in climate science, and investors can help the environment by demanding sustainability in business. This is why she educates investors on investments in climate, energy, and land use.
Buchner’s expertise has been in high demand and she will continue to be influential as long as people are paying for eco-friendly services.
3. Heidi Cullen
Heidi Cullen is a climate scientist. She’s the Chief Climatologist for Climate Central, a US-based organization that reports on and analyzes climate science.
She’s also the Weather Channel’s first on-air climate expert. Through this, she helped create Forecast Earth. This is a weekly series that reports on climate change and how it’s affecting the earth.
Cullen has a Ph.D. in climatology and has postdoctoral experience in climate-specific scientific research.
Cullen’s expertise has made her a trustworthy name in climate science, where you can see her in the media such as the show Years of Living Dangerously.
4. Winnie Byanyima
Winnie Byanyima is an expert on gender and climate change. She began her career as an aeronautical engineer in Uganda before becoming the Executive Director of Oxfam International in 2013.
Since then, she became a leader in gender involvement in our modern climate change efforts. Her work is mainly in the United Nations, where she leads the gender team.
5. Christiana Figueres
Christiana Figueres is another leading UN figure in gender and climate change.
She heads the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and is the person you see making a myriad of press appearances on the subject.
She started her career in the Costa Rican political sphere emphasizing sustainable development.
Figueres also makes a point to highlight women’s efforts in the subject of climate change.
6. Judith Curry
Judith Curry is the Chair of the School of Earth and Atmospheric Science at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
She is an established climate scientist and is often approached for some of the more intricate debates.
Her work lies within hurricanes, remote sensing, atmospheric modeling, polar climates, air-sea interactions, and the use of unmanned aerial vehicles for atmospheric research.
Curry is also a well-known blogger as she fights to give a voice to those who aren’t taken seriously in the science community. She also covers popular climate change topics and expresses her opinions on these issues.
7. Joanna Haigh
Joanna Haigh is the co-director of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and Environment at Imperial College. Haigh is famous for reporting on climate issues such as climate modeling and solar viability.
Haigh offers climate change rebuttals to politicians and became one of the few Fellows of the Royal Society in 2013.
8. Tamsin Edwards
Tamsin Edwards is one of the younger influencers on this list but this doesn’t make her any less fearless. Her work in climate change is online where she Tweets and blogs about a variety of issues in the science community.
Edwards is a junior climate scientist. She started her training in high energy physics but is now a research associate at the University of Bristol.
9. Connie Hedegaard
Connie Hedegaard is a conservative politician in her native Denmark. She talks as the head of Minister for Climate and Energy.
Ever since 2009, she has had a leadership role in different climate talks in Copenhagen. In 2010, she became the European Commissioner for Climate Action.
Hedegaard has a background in journalism and is known for her work in global climate negations and is an advocate for continued diplomatic work.
10. Katherine Hayhoe
Katherine Hayhoe is a climate scientist whose emphasis is on public communications. Hayhoe is unique because she’s an evangelical Christian but she separates her religion from global warming facts.
This helps convince religious individuals of climate change and other facts in the science community. She even discussed the connections between Christianity, conservatism and climate change with NPR.
Hayhoe was also featured in the series Years of Living Dangerously.
Keep Up With These Famous Female Scientists
From Australia to the U.S., these famous female scientists are working toward one common goal: educating the world about climate change.
These women hold incredible positions in science and politics, which makes them leaders in the industry.
If we keep damaging our ecosystem, we could say goodbye to our planet. Follow these leading ladies and change the world for the better.
Use these ladies’ stories and be a boss lady yourself! Follow our lifestyle section for advice on living a hardworking but happy life.
