Obama at COP21

“We can show the world what’s possible.” Obama witnessed receding glaciers in Alaska in September. ((c) AP Images) President Obama expressed urgency and optimism as world leaders met to tackle climate change at the COP21 climate talks in Paris. There is such a thing as being too late, and when it comes to climate change, that hour is almost upon us,” Obama said on November 30. “Here in Paris, we can show the world what’s possible when we come together, united in common effort and by a common purpose.” Leaders of 196 nations are attending the United Nations COP21 conference from November 30 through December 11 to reach an agreement to reduce greenhouse gases that cause global warming.

Climate Change is deadly serious, especially for women. According to the U.N., women in sub-Saharan Africa spend an average of 40 billion hours a year collecting water. ((c) AP Images) In Tanzania, because of drought, a girl must walk farther for water than her mother did years before. The extra time means she can’t go to school. And the U.N. and the World Health Organization say those changes impact women more than men, especially in developing countries. Women “are among the most vulnerable to climate change,” concludes a U.N. Population Fund report, “partly because in many countries they make up the larger share of the agricultural workforce and partly because they tend to have access to fewer income-earning opportunities.”