Stephanie Holthaus brings together diverse women leaders in order to find collaborative solutions to the global climate crisis.
Climate change is still a fairly abstract concept in some places. Alaska is one of these places. Stephanie Holthaus has lived in Alaska since 1978. Take Portage Glacier southeast of Anchorage. Holthaus recalls that in the first 20 years he lived here, he could see the face of the iceberg-filled lake across the little glacier from the end of his road. “Now the glacier is receding so far into the mountains that you can’t even see it.”
She believes that Alaskans have a pragmatic approach to climate change and a tendency to look for solutions rather than politics. Holthaus, who has been working as a climate action advisor at The Nature Conservancy Alaska since 2017, brings this attitude to her job.
Holthaus, as part of her efforts, launched the Women in Climate Initiative in 2018. She and her team hosted five “innovation laboratories” in the past few years, which brought together women of all backgrounds and sectors for multiday workshops aimed at generating ideas to address climate change. The 188 women who have attended these events form a global network of leaders.
Holthaus says that it is vital that innovation labs focus on women. Not because they represent the majority in the world or that their livelihoods depend more heavily on the natural resources that are threatened by climate changes, but because the women have powerful skills and perspectives which can change the dynamics of the climate discussion. Women have historically been underrepresented at global leadership levels, even the highest ones in conservation. She believes that by bringing in more women and empowering them to be leaders, we can achieve more diverse outcomes and more innovative ideas.
Women’s perspectives can be powerful and change the conversation about climate change.
Holthaus describes the energy in the rooms she convened for innovation labs. “When women get together to work on solutions, it’s completely different than a room where there are mostly men,” Holthaus explains. According to Holthaus, the leadership styles of women often have a strong community focus. She says that if women are thinking about climate change, they also think about food, health, and safety. “Women are more likely to include others in their journey, not just other women but also men.”
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic concerns in 2020 and 2021, the Innovation Labs will be virtual. Participants will focus on the need for equitable solutions. In the latest innovation lab held in Seattle in September, participants hammered out an idea to collect and distribute more data in order to make the fishing industry and local communities more resilient to climate change.
The Conservancy organizes the events, but it is the participants who decide on the focus. Holthaus was fascinated to see women brainstorming ideas and then returning home to implement those ideas. Her team plans to focus future sessions on agriculture and transportation, industries that are major contributors to climate change.
It’s hard to ignore the effects of a warming climate in Alaska. The rising temperatures, the thawing of permafrost, and the disappearance of glaciers are all a result. Holthaus is adamant that he’s hopeful.
She says, “I’m optimistic.” Holthaus wants to make sure that all women are able to play a crucial role in solving climate change. “Women will not let this world burn down.”
