Climate Justice

Climate change threatens those human rights... the right to life, food, water, health, education, livelihood, and safety. 

Climate change disproportionately affects women and girls, and action is needed from a gender equality perspective. That’s why Zonta International and the Zonta Foothills Club of Boulder County pledge to empower women and girls globally and locally, to ensure a fair and human rights-based approach to solve the crisis of climate crisis.

Currently, around the world, one in every 10 women lives in extreme poverty. By 2030, the United Nations estimates that climate change could push: 

  • 158 million women and girls into poverty 

  • 674 million into high or critical water stress 

  • 236 million women and girls into food insecurity.

Zonta is NOT an environmental organization, but in our mission to Build a Better World for Women and Girls, we advocate for environmental justice. We support the voices from communities around the country who are leading the fight to address environmental racism. We commit to being their allies, shaping policies to ensure environmental equity in all communities.

Women’s rights ARE human rights, and Zonta Says Now to Climate Action, our Zonta International initiative, is building awareness to create a healthy, gender-equal environment. It calls on us to move forward, not as competitors but as colleagues and partners. 

Women and girls face far greater consequences from climate change than men.

That’s why we support Women Who are Taking Climate Action

We are proud to announce the release of “Women Taking Climate Action”, a video produced by our Club, funded by the Zonta Foothills Foundation, and supported by a grant from the Zonta District 12 Action for Environment and Gender Equality (AEGE) Committee. It highlights the work of local women who are advocating for climate justice through public policy, along with the 2025 recipients of our Zonta Foothills Climate Justice Scholarships who are pursuing graduate degrees at the University of Colorado Boulder. The video features their work.

Our 2025 Climate Justice Forum panelists, featured in Women Taking Climate Action, are:

  • Lesley Smith, CO Representative HD 49 2025- present, CU Regent 2019-2015, First woman aquanaut at NOAA’s underwater Research Habitat

  • KC Becker, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator 2021-24, CO House Speaker 2019-21, CO State Representative 2013-21, Boulder City Council 2009-13

  • Mariah Bowman CU JD candidate and Sara Fleming, CU MS candidate in Geography, Team members contributing to CU Boulder’s Climate Action Plan (CAP), 2025 Zonta Foothills Climate Justice Scholars (bios of our Climate Scholars)

  • Casey Davis, CU Ph.D. candidate in Chemistry working on sustainable electronics for renewable energy applications, 2025 Zonta Foothills Climate Justice Scholar (bios of our Climate Scholars)

Zonta Foothills CIimate Justice Scholarship

The Zonta Foothills Climate Justice Scholarship educates women who are future climate leaders. By supporting their education, we are helping students build just systems that will sustain the planet for future generations.