Paola Gianturco and Avery Sangster

Women and girl leaders around the world are guiding organizations that are reducing – and over time reversing – the carbon dioxide emissions that cause global warming. Clover Moore, the Lord Mayor of Sydney, Australia, has pledged to reduce the city's government emissions by 70% by 2030. She has already made Sydney the first Australian city to be declared carbon neutral. Sheila Watt-Cloutier is an Inuit activist who sees her people as climate change sentinels for the world. She uses their observations, experience, and knowledge of the Arctic to benefit people everywhere. Fifteen thousand Sri Lankan women are raising and planting mangroves, which are known as "miracle trees" because they sequester five times more carbon dioxide than tropical trees in the Amazon rainforest. Nelleke van der Puil is the Vice President of Materials at LEGO. She is developing plastic made from plants instead of oil, which is transforming the company's products. Women are especially effective leaders when it comes to combating climate change. Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac, the architects of the 2015 Paris Agreement, have found that "nations with greater female representation in positions of power have smaller climate footprints." They also found that "companies with women on their executive boards are more likely to invest in renewable energy and develop products that help solve the climate crisis." Additionally, "women legislators vote for environmental protections almost twice as frequently as men, and women who lead investment firms are twice as likely to make investment decisions based on how companies treat their employees and the environment." In conclusion, women are making a significant difference in the fight against climate change. They are leading by example, developing innovative solutions, and influencing policy at all levels. Paola Gianturco and her 12-year-old granddaughter, Avery Sangster, interviewed and photographed women leaders from all over the world who are using their intelligence, creativity, and courage to reverse global warming. The book, COOL: Women Leaders Reversing Global Warming, tells their important stories in their own words and suggests action steps that you can take to join them on this existential journey.