‘Fearless Girl’ appears at Climate KIC’s Climate Innovation Summit

Fearless Girl—the famous bronze statue erected in Lower Manhattan on the eve of International Women’s Day in 2017—is being hosted at Climate KIC’s Climate Innovation Summit in Dublin from 6-8 November.

Irish Finance Minister Michael D’Arcy said the statue is “a wonderful and inspiring symbol of leadership.”

The statue, which depicts a girl standing confidently with her hands on her hips, was originally installed at Bowling Green in the Financial District of Manhattan, New York City, facing the iconic Charging Bull (or Wall Street Bull) statue. It was commissioned in order to draw attention to the importance of increasing the number of women on corporate boards and was made by sculptor Kristen Visbal.

Prominent women have publicly commented on the statue including Carolyn Maloney, US Representative, New York’s 12th congressional district, who said, “This statue has touched hearts across the world with its symbolism of the resiliency of women.”

Letitia James, New York City Public Advocate, said:

“Fearless Girl stands as a powerful beacon, showing women—young and old—that no dream is too big and no ceiling is too high.”

Since achieving massive coverage on both print and online media, and going viral on social media (spawning nearly one million tweets), Fearless Girl has evolved as a fascinating conversation piece, stirring important discussions and debates related to gender equality.

Fearless Girl’s placement at the Climate Innovation Summit is a reminder that gender is an important consideration when it comes to climate change mitigation and adaption.

According to the UN, “Women form a disproportionately large share of the poor in countries all over the world. Women in rural areas in developing countries are highly dependent on local natural resources for their livelihood, because of their responsibility to secure water, food and energy for cooking and heating. The effects of climate change, including drought, uncertain rainfall and deforestation, make it harder to secure these resources. By comparison with men in poor countries, women face historical disadvantages, which include limited access to decision-making and economic assets that compound the challenges of climate change.”

Moreover, a study from the London School of Economics found that natural disasters—which are expected to become more frequent and more severe with climate change—are more likely to kill women than men, and that this disparity is largest where women’s socioeconomic status is the lowest.

The statue’s appearance at Climate-KIC’s proprietary conference also reflects the organisation’s commitment to female empowerment. In fact, the Climate Innovation Summit was opened by not one—but three women: Sandrine Dixon-Decleve, Co-President, Club of Rome, Kirsten Dunlop, CEO, Climate-KIC and Mariana Mazzucato, Professor, UCL and Founder/Director, Institute for Innovation & Public Purpose.

Additionally, the opening panel, “The policy and finance conditions needed to meet climate and sustainable finance ambition,” featured a 2:1 speaker ratio of women to men.

Innovation happens when diverse perspectives are brought together and this conference—which seeks to identify levers of change and re-wire the financial sector—is sure to deliver.