As global leaders gathered for the UN Climate Ambition Summit on Wednesday, September 20, WECAN hosted an event, right across the street from the UN, bringing together women leaders to call on

As global leaders gathered for the UN Climate Ambition Summit on Wednesday, September 20, WECAN hosted an event, right across the street from the UN, bringing together women leaders to call on governments to reckon with their role in fueling climate chaos, and harm against communities and the planet by continuing the extraction of fossil fuels. Governments must invest in and deploy a Just Transition that is grounded in a climate justice framework and uplifts care economies, community-led solutions, Indigenous rights, and a different vision than business as usual. During the event, we hosted two panels detailed below.

In the first panel, “Women Ending the Era of Fossil Fuels," speakers shared expertise and frameworks for transitioning away from extraction and ongoing policy advocacy and campaigns that seek to phase out fossil fuels and other harmful extractive practices.

Speakers included: Sharon Lavigne, Founder and President of RISE St. James, Turtle Island/USA; Farhana Yamin, Coordinator, Climate Justice & Just Transition Donor Collaborative, United Kingdom; Eriel Tchekwie Deranger (Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation), Executive Director of Indigenous Climate Action, Canada; Tzeporah Berman, Chair, Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, Canada; moderation and comments by Osprey Orielle Lake, Executive Director, WECAN.

In the second panel, "Women-led Climate Solutions Are Central to a Just Transition and Thriving Future," leaders shared how to implement and support solutions that are advancing a Just Transition, and recent successes and victories for community-led climate just solutions!

Speakers included: Casey Camp Horinek (Ponca Nation), Ponca Nation Environmental Ambassador and WECAN Board Member, Turtle Island, USA; Helena Gualinga (Kichwa from Sarayaku), Indigenous Youth Climate Leader, Ecuador; Ozawa Bineshi Albert (Yuchi and Anishinaabe), Climate Justice Alliance Co-Executive Director, Turtle Island/USA; Elizabeth C. Yeampierre, Executive Director, UPROSE, Turtle Island/USA; Zukiswa White, Coordinator, Women and Gender Constituency, South Africa; moderation and comments by Osprey Orielle Lake, Executive Director, WECAN.

In a candid interview with National Geographic, actor and Water.org co-founder Matt Damon discusses the global water crisis and his nonprofit's mission to end open-air defecation. Despite

In a candid interview with National Geographic, actor and Water.org co-founder Matt Damon discusses the global water crisis and his nonprofit's mission to end open-air defecation. Despite significant progress, nearly 950 million people still practice this public health hazard. Damon hopes that solutions like microfinancing will make open-air defecation a thing of the past by 2030.

Water.org promotes access to safe water and sanitation. Learn more at Water.org. This interview complements National Geographic's August 2017 story "A Place to Go": National Geographic Magazine.

Watch the full interview: Exclusive: Matt Damon Gets Emotional About Global Water Crisis. Subscribe to National Geographic: http://bit.ly/NatGeoSubscribe.

Published July 16, 2017, the Ethical Cannabis Alliance (ECA) kick-off event featured Emma Chasen, Ashley Preece, Laura Day Rivero, and Dr. Elizabeth Bennett. They addressed the need for robust

Published July 16, 2017, the Ethical Cannabis Alliance (ECA) kick-off event featured Emma Chasen, Ashley Preece, Laura Day Rivero, and Dr. Elizabeth Bennett. They addressed the need for robust labor and environmental standards in cannabis; Rivero shared sustainable practices, and Dr. Bennett discussed political economy. Ashley Preece presented a certification program for labor standards, third-party inspections, and state uniformity. The ECA later merged with the Organic Cannabis Association, forming the Cannabis Certification Council, with Preece as Executive Director.

More info here; Part 4 here on EarthSayers.tv. Produced by Barry Heidt, curated by Ruth Ann Barrett.

Pioneering women's rights lawyer and activist Catharine A. MacKinnon explores the "Butterfly Effect" in law. She argues that seemingly minor legal interventions can generate major social and

Pioneering women's rights lawyer and activist Catharine A. MacKinnon explores the "Butterfly Effect" in law. She argues that seemingly minor legal interventions can generate major social and cultural transformations, inspiring equality seekers to spread their wings.

A distinguished Elizabeth A. Long Professor of Law at Michigan Law, MacKinnon specializes in sex equality issues under international and domestic law. Watch her discuss these powerful ideas in our latest RSA Spotlight video. For the full talk, click here. Learn more about her work here.