Intertwined - by Rebecca Kormos (Hardcover)

About the Book

"A powerful argument that greater inclusion of women in conservation and climate science is key to the future of the planet"--

Book Synopsis

Winner of the Studs and Ida Terkel Prize
A powerful argument that greater inclusion of women in conservation and climate science is key to the future of the planet

Women are disproportionately impacted by climate change--floods, droughts, and extreme temperatures overwhelmingly affect women in the short and long term. In some cases, women make up almost 90 percent of casualties during dangerous climate events, and the majority of those displaced in the aftermath are women. Despite this disparity, women are underrepresented at every level of decision-making about the future of our planet: only 24 percent of CEOs in nonprofit conservation and around one-third of the representatives in national and global climate negotiating bodies have been women.

In Intertwined, writer and wildlife biologist Rebecca Kormos elevates the voices of women working to prevent the climate crisis, weaving together their stories to make a powerful case for why women are essential to changing our current trajectory toward catastrophic global warming and environmental degradation. Kormos argues that empowering women is one of the most important solutions to climate change and biodiversity loss: women's leadership and equal representation is linked to lower CO₂ emissions, better forest management, better land protection, less land grabbing, and fewer conflicts over resources.

For readers of All We Can Save and Braiding Sweetgrass, Kormos joins the ranks of recent breakthrough efforts to showcase women's voices in the movement to combat climate change. Kormos takes this endeavor one step further with a global, intersectional narrative of how women and gender nonconforming individuals are doing the crucial work at the local and national levels to reframe how we think about environmental activism. Ultimately, Intertwined proves that climate justice is inextricable from gender equality.

Review Quotes

Praise for Intertwined:
"A passionate sociological survey, Intertwined outlines how addressing the 'feminist crisis' within the climate change movement might improve ecocultural balance and planetary well-being."
--Foreword Reviews

"With passion and care, Intertwined weaves together stories of hope, determination, and the transformative actions of women involved in the movement against climate change. It provides a vivid and empowering portrait of a world where resilience and environmental stewardship converge."
--Jane Goodall, PhD, DBE, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, and UN Messenger of Peace

"Intertwined is an urgent, propulsive, and deeply necessary book. It makes irrefutable that the planetary polycrisis is a social justice and feminist crisis as well as an environmental one. Readable and gripping, it surfaces the shocking exclusion of women, in practice and in voice, while simultaneously uplifting previously invisible women, courageous and wise, who are our hope. Superbly researched, providing a survey of the history and present state of inequality, Intertwined also has the compelling power of personal narrative--it is outstanding."
--Ashley Judd, MPA, humanitarian, writer, actor, and UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador

"Mahalo to Rebecca for this powerful weaving of research, storytelling, and heart. Within this insightfully crafted narrative the voices of women emerge, determined and inspiring, courageously facing the compounding crises of climate change and systemic inequity. This book is a profound testament to the resilience and wisdom of women and women-led efforts for climate justice, and their indispensable role in bringing us into right relationship with one another and the Earth. With this call to action, Rebecca underlines a crucial truth: women are the heartbeat of change, driving us toward a sustainable, thriving and just future."
--Kahea Pacheco (Kanaka 'Ōiwi), Indigenous advocate and co-executive director of Women's Earth Alliance

"As I've worked on the climate crisis around the world, I've noticed how many of the great leaders that I've encountered--local and global--are women. This fascinating book helps make clear why that is, and why paying attention to gender inequities counts as a powerful climate solution."
--Bill McKibben, award-winning author, activist, and founder of Third Act

"At the intersection of gender injustice and the climate crisis, a growing awareness and a bold new idea is rising; women and girls may just be the future--of everything. But first, we must pull the ones we have left behind. This book is a valuable leap forward to get us there."
--Cristina Mittermeier, marine biologist, photographer, conservationist, author, and co-founder of SeaLegacy

"It will come as little surprise that women have been systemically excluded from decision-making when it comes to nature. As the climate and biodiversity crises escalate, it is also becoming clear that they are disproportionately impacted by the floods, droughts, and rising temperatures associated with our devastating new normal. But as Kormos documents in Intertwined, women also hold the key to the way out. Weaving together the voices of women conservationists from across the globe, this thoughtful and deeply researched book makes a powerful case for the inextricable links between climate justice and gender equality--and the need to fast-track women's leadership before it's too late."
--Jocelyn C. Zuckerman, award-winning journalist and author of Planet Palm

About the Author

Rebecca Kormos is a primatologist, wildlife biologist, conservationist, filmmaker, writer, National Geographic Explorer, and one of the co-founders of the Women in Nature Network. Intertwined: Women, Nature, and Climate Justice is her first book. She lives in Berkeley, California.