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The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) has revealed it is celebrating this year’s International Women’s Day by calling for the role of women to be “reinforced” in tackling the climate crisis.
According to the UN Environment Programme, it’s estimated 80% of people displaced by climate change are women and women are 14 times more likely to die during environmental disasters. Additionally, across the globe, women make up the majority of the workforce in sectors like agriculture, thus would be disproportionately affected by extreme weather conditions.
Sectors benefiting the most from the transition to net-zero are utilities, construction and manufacturing and the issue with these sectors is there is a very low percentage of women making up the workforce. ACCA added that Governments and businesses alike need to work together to “ensure both women and men equally are a part of the transition to net-zero”.
Speaking at ACCA’s International Women’s Day event, ACCA’s head of sustainability, Emmeline Skelton, said: “Today, we remember the immeasurable role women play in society. This is why ACCA is calling for women’s voices must be heard in a space where men dominate the climate agenda. This directly relates to two of the UN Sustainable Development Goals – SDG 5 on gender equality and SDG 13 on climate change.
“The climate agenda is redefining the world of business long-term over the coming decades and it’s important for us to understand the role women can play in this challenge.”
She added: “‘This is also a crucial subject for the accountancy profession. ACCA is a pioneer for change in business reporting, which is a pivotal part of many accountants’ work. Financial reports must account not just the bottom line, but impact a business is making on society and the planet.”
