November 17, 2022

Mind the gap – Gender Equality, Female entrepreneurship, and the Green Transition

On the Water & Gender Day of COP27, 14 November, Nordic Energy Research (funder of Nordic Energy Equality Network) organized the event Mind the gap – Gender Equality, Female entrepreneurship, and the Green Transition. Around 30 people participated in the event, where Astrid Bratli, Adviser at Nordic Energy Research as well as Pilot of Nordic Energy Equality Network, gave a short presentation on NEEN and the report Gender equality in the Nordic energy sector.

“I appreciate the overwhelmingly positive feedback and interest in the report, as well as the fantastic turnout at a gender event at the Nordic pavilion. There were so many people at the pavilion, that the people on stage could hardly fit themselves. There is clearly a great interest in this topic, with a lot of people who find this important, that I actually believe that we can bring about a change faster than we had imagined a couple of years ago,” says Astrid.

^{Astrid Bratli holding the report Gender equality in the Nordic energy sector.}

At the event, the Icelandic Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Svandís Svavarsdóttir, gave an opening speech.

Marton Leander Vølstad, Adviser at Nordic Energy Research, moderated the discussions, as speakers Heidi Solba, President and Head of Global Network at Let’s Do It World, Anna-Greta Tsahkna, CEO of Timbeter, Selma Skov Høye, Sustainability Director at Aker Horizons, Marte Rusten, Principal Consultant, Environmental risk and preparedness at DNV, and Malang Sambou Manneh from Mbolo Association, Gambia, shared their experiences and perspectives on the benefits of empowering women.

Can we reach the SDGs without equality in the climate and energy sector?

The speakers were asked whether or not we can reach the Sustainable Development Goals without equality in the climate and energy sector. The response to this question was a resounding “no”.

“The equality is very much part of the SDGs. And I think, as we’ve been discussing, that it’s important to have all good ideas on board to solve the energy transition challenges,” says Marte Rusten.

“We couldn’t achieve the Sustainable Development Goals without gender equality and not only because gender equality is a part of the SDGs, but also because having everyone involved and creating equal opportunities is a central part of everything else – sustainable cities, responsible consumption and production – it goes into a lot of these aspects, not only when it comes to tackling climate change,” says Selma Skov Høye.