On Thursday, June 27, Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced that the City of New Orleans will become the first U.S. city to participate in the C40 Women4Climate Mentorship Program.
“As the first woman to be elected Mayor of New Orleans, I am proud to announce that our city will be he first from the U.S. to participate in the Women4Climate Mentorship Program,” Cantrell said. “Women are effective leaders, critical problem solvers, and passionate champions for the strong and sustainable future we all want. I look forward to working with the determined and forward-thinking women of tomorrow.”
In New Orleans, the Women4Climate mentorship program will match 10 promising young New Orleans women with the mayor and leaders from the business, science, technology, education, and community activism sectors with emerging women leaders to help them develop necessary skills, overcome obstacles, and inspire more effective climate action. The hope is that through this program, mentees will be enabled to become powerful leaders in fields including transportation, energy, culture, and waste.
“We have met and supported many women who are delivering climate adaptation and mitigation solutions in their neighborhoods and professions, helping to reduce the threats of sea level rise and storm intensity,” said Director of Environmental Programs of the Greater New Orleans Foundation Ella Delio. “This program will help advance this important work by growing capacity and growing the movement of leaders working to protect and sustain the city and region that we love.”
New Orleans joins global cities such as Paris, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Mexico City, London, Quito, Montreal, and Vancouver in the Women4Climate Initiative. Here, climate change is not some far-off scenario – it is a reality whose effects are felt daily (New Orleans is constantly faced with the realities of climate change and the issues that arise as a result (toxic algae blooms in Lake Pontchartrain, and land subsidence in urban neighborhoods for a start).
Founding partners of the Women4Climate Initiative include L’Oréal and ELLE Magazine. C40 Cities is an initiative connecting 94 global cities, enabling them to take bold action against climate change. Participants commit to deliver on some of the most ambitious goals of the Paris Agreement o a local level.
Women wishing to apply for the 10-month Women4Climate mentorship program can apply by visiting https://w4c.org/mentorship – applications are due on July 21.
Jenn Bentley is a freelance journalist and editor whose work has been featured in publications such as The High Tech Society, FansShare, Yahoo News, Examiner.com, and others. Follow her on Twitter: @JennBentley_
