Small Steps To Big Impact On The Way To COP26

When a woman has a bold realization and desire to change or improve her life, a rush of energy surges through their body. There might have been an idea or desire simmering for a long time or she could have had a sudden epiphany as a result of a conversation or experience.

This energy creates action. One small step is all it takes to get going. One proverbial foot in front of the other helps – even if the destination point feels uncertain.

Perhaps the path a woman chooses changes entirely because of new opportunities that hadn’t existed before past actions were taken! These new “growth” opportunities might not have been presented had she not taken the first step.

When things in women’s lives line up and they feel as though they can take on the world…everything around them gets better.

There is more power. Women use their voices to speak up more about the injustices of society, environmental and human rights abuses and/or even about the traumatic life experiences they have faced or are facing.

What if women all over the world had the capacity to truly take action on something in their lives that truly made them feel happy, fulfilled, more full of joy?

How would that inspire their families and communities, ultimately impacting the entire globe?

As representatives from 192 countries gather to negotiate global action at COP26* in Glasgow this week, I am hopeful and excited to think about the possibilities of all that the women there will develop.

Women in action can make a profound influence on a global level.

I look forward to hearing about the experience of Fawn Sharp, the vice president of the Quinault Indian Nation in Washington state, throughout her experience at COP26.

Fifteen years ago she took the first steps to learn about how climate change affected sockeye salmon in Washington. This week she is in Glasgow to call for climate action and demand more indigenous representation at COP events. This group of people is not credentialed at COP26 yet are the most affected by the climate crisis.

Nisreen Elsaim is a young climate activist from Sudan, a country quite vulnerable to climate change. She decided to take the first steps on this path years ago to raise awareness about the consequences of pollution, disease outbreaks, and drought – all because it was near and dear to her heart. She is now one of the leading figures on climate and security issues in the world and is the Chair of the UN Secretary General’s Youth Advisory Group.

Their voices will make a difference.

Most likely, twenty years ago neither of these women pictured themselves as climate change leaders, representing the interests of many at one of the planet’s most influential conferences. But, they took one step at a time to make their dreams happen.

These examples demonstrate that when women realize that they want a change in their lives – something bigger, different, more expressive – they can harness the energy within themselves to do anything.

Passion and desire are amazing sources of renewable energy that women can harness to cultivate joy and clarity in themselves. This energy expands to our online and in-real-life communities and reverberates out throughout the globe.

* (COP means “Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change” and the goal is to set ground rules and expectations for global cooperation on combating climate change.)