Women are continually being underrepresented in climate change discussions, with only seven of the 110 officials leading discussions at COP27 being female. This exclusion of women reflects a failure to commit to achieving gender equality at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, where men occupied 61% of membership positions involved in decision-making. At COP27, women accounted for only 35.6% of participation, marking a decline from recent years, in spite of many of these organisations claiming to recognise the crucial role of women in addressing climate change. Women are currently bearing the worst of the impacts of climate change and their representation is vital in climate discussions. Findings show that when women and marginalised groups are included in decision-making, better climate policy and social equity is achieved. Furthermore, data from McKinsey states that organisations with greater gender diversity on executive teams are 25% more likely to have higher profitability. It is therefore imperative for social and climate justice that women are properly represented at the negotiation table.
