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Key people at Women and Climate.
Women and Climate operates as a vital community platform designed to connect and empower women and non-binary professionals engaged in climate action. The organization facilitates meaningful networking events, maintains a comprehensive speaker database, and cultivates a supportive environment for professional growth and knowledge exchange within the climate sector. Its core offering is a space for joyful engagement, allowing members to deepen their understanding of climate issues and build lasting professional relationships.
The organization was founded by Michelle Li, with early collaboration from Stephanie Korbely, in or around 2022. Li established Women and Climate after recognizing a gap in traditional networking events, seeking to create a more intimate and impactful forum where individuals could delve into climate discussions and forge deeper connections. Her personal experience navigating climate professional circles informed the foundational insight that a supportive community was essential for sustained engagement and development.
Women and Climate primarily serves women and non-binary professionals globally who are either working in or seeking to enter the climate industry. The organization’s long-term vision centers on accelerating climate action by making the field more accessible and fostering a diverse, empowered workforce. It aims to inspire and equip a broader spectrum of individuals to contribute effectively to global climate solutions, emphasizing that everyone can play a role in addressing this critical challenge.
Key people at Women and Climate.
Women and Climate is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2022 and registered in New York, dedicated to accelerating climate action by inspiring women and nonbinary professionals worldwide to engage in climate efforts.[3][4] It creates a joyful, safe community space—primarily through a global Slack group, in-person events hosted by 50+ local City Leads, and participation in major climate summits like COP28—for knowledge exchange, networking, and collaboration on sustainability.[3][4][5][8] With a team of over 100 volunteers and supporters including companies like Sweep, Ripple, and Terraformation, it addresses women's underrepresentation in climate decision-making by fostering inclusive dialogues, showcasing female innovations, and empowering members to influence policy and corporate strategies.[2][4][6]
The organization solves the problem of limited female participation in climate work by lowering barriers to entry—no prior experience or special degrees required—and building a supportive network that spans cities from New York to Doha, Hong Kong, London, and Berlin.[4][5][8] Its growth momentum is evident in rapid expansion to global chapters, high-profile event presence, and partnerships that amplify its reach, positioning it as a key player in gender-inclusive climate advocacy.[3][4][6]
Women and Climate was founded in 2022 by Michelle Li in Toronto (initially as Women and Climate NYC), driven by her passion for climate networking in a more personal, dinner-table setting.[3][5] New to New York City and working in accelerator programs at WeWork—designing learning initiatives for startups and SMBs—Michelle attended climate events but sought deeper connections around career, personal life, and sustainability, including vegan dining explorations.[5] Her backstory humanizes the mission: believing "everyone can work on climate" from any role, she launched the initiative to inspire broader brainpower toward the crisis, starting with casual dinners that evolved into a global network.[5]
Early traction came swiftly through volunteer City Leads onboarding to host events like networking dinners, clothing swaps, and hikes worldwide, growing to 50+ chapters and a Slack community open to women identifiers.[3][4][8] Pivotal moments include panels at COP28, NYC Climate Week, and partnerships with sustainability firms, reflecting organic evolution from local meetups to international influence.[4]
Women and Climate rides the intersecting trends of climate tech acceleration and gender equity in sustainability, where women—disproportionately impacted by climate change yet underrepresented in decisions—drive twice the community engagement on the issue.[2][7] Timing aligns with post-COP commitments like 1.5°C goals and UN Sustainable Development Goals, as market forces favor inclusive strategies amid rising demand for diverse insights in green finance, renewables, and nature-based solutions.[1][4][7]
It influences the ecosystem by bridging non-profits, tech (e.g., blockchain via Ripple, carbon capture partners), and civil society, formulating inclusive policies and mobilizing women leaders to shape boardrooms, streets, and negotiations—countering outdated mindsets for holistic climate justice.[2][6][7]
Women and Climate is poised to expand its 100+ member base and chapters amid surging climate urgency, potentially scaling Slack to thousands while deepening tech partnerships for tools like AI-driven impact tracking.[3][6] Trends like green hydrogen, forest restoration, and just transitions will shape it, evolving from networking hub to policy influencer as women's leadership proves essential for 1.5°C pathways.[1][4][7]
Its influence may grow by integrating more nonbinary voices and Global South chapters, tying back to its core: empowering overlooked talent to unlock collective climate momentum.[2][5]
