What can women contribute to climate change prevention? Based on this premise, a round table was held at the green zone of the Climate Change World Summit in Madrid, COP25, with the special participation of influential women from different fields to discuss Climate Change problems and how they could help to combat it.
Regina Llopis, president of Grupo AIA, Andrea Barber, cofounder and CEP of Rated Power; Mari Luz Cádiz, researcher at Universidad de Oporto); Patricia Fernández, researcher at Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas, (UPM-INIA); Cristina Romera, researcher at the Instituto de Ciencias del Mar (CESIC) and moderated by Ángeles Heras, Secretary of State for Universities, Research, Development, and Innovation have participated at this round table and was promoted by the Women Observatory, Science and Innovation.
A variety of problems and challenges facing the planet were exposed at this Climate Summit. Among the solutions proposed, Cristina Romera has mentioned the research done on plastic recycling and new materials to replace the oil by-product. Patricia Fernández explained how the research on plants is combating pests and allowing the formulation of new pesticides based on plants´ natural defense mechanisms, so efforts have been made towards intelligent and sustainable agriculture.
However, implementing these ideas would entail moving from the research area to the business one, and knowledge transfer to the industry to implement the changes required against climate change. On this issue, Regina Llopis, president of Grupo AIA, reminded the slim participation of women in entrepreneurship.
Regina Llopis highlighted that only 7% of the capital risk in Europe goes to businesses created and managed by women and in Spain, only 8% of women are business angels, in other words, investors at the first stages of the business development.
These figures show the low participation of women in the business world and the also president of WA4STEAM has urged women to be involved in climate change combat through the creation of technological-based businesses. Areas such as artificial intelligence, Physics, Mathematics, or Engineering allow promoting a more sustainable world.
