Women in Green Chemistry and Engineering: Agents of Change Toward the Achievement of a Sustainable Future

Both green and sustainable chemistry and engineering can broadly reach and interconnect different aspects of our society. To promote peace and protect our planet by 2030, the systemic change enabled by the holistic and inclusive perspective of green and sustainable chemistry and engineering is essential. Within this context, women and girls occupy a unique position: (1) The consequences of climate change and pollution disproportionally impact them. (2) They are excluded when it comes time to build solutions, through the continued lack of gender equity in research, innovation, and in power-holding positions. (3) They have been shown to be positive and ethical agents of change, whose exclusion may slow the inception of necessary sustainable solutions. Women are essential agents of change whose contributions to economic, social, and environmental systems are crucial for achieving a sustainable future. In this editorial, written on the 2022 International Women’s Day, we want to show how a more systematic integration of women within all aspects of green and sustainable chemistry and engineering is paramount to preserving and improving our planet.

Amy S. Cannon, Danielle Julie Carrier, Abigail S. Engelberth, Jeannette M. Garcia, Eunice Heath, King Kuok (Mimi) Hii, Francesca M. Kerton, Banothile Makhubela, Audrey Moores, Liane M. Rossi, Juliana L. Vidal, Adelina Voutchkova-Kostal, and Karen Wilson
ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering 2022 10 (9), 2859-2862
https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.2c00982