“Environmental protection is not just about talking.  It is also about taking action,” (Maathal).  I think that women are often at the forefront of environmental activism around the world because they do not hold enough political power to make a change.  They are the first people to see the physical results of environmental degradation, but their voices are not powerful enough to make drastic change.  I think women have realized that talking about these issues are simply not enough.  They may not have the political power, but they have the power of their own actions.  Maathal says, “Women who start to plant trees on their farms influence their neighbors. The neighbors eventually become involved. At the national level, we have been able to draw the attention of the parliament, and even the president, to the need to protect the environment!” 

I see a connection between oppressed women and oppressed nature: dis-empowerment.  But women have realized that when you take matters into your own hands, a change happens and people start to join you.  Even that small change you made on your own starts to become noticed by the public, and it grows, so much that those who hold the most power cannot ignore you any longer.  A recent example of female environmental activism that has grown to create a national dialogue is the Standing Rock protest made up of Native American women.  Not only are they bringing awareness to environmental degradation brought on by corporations, but their activism is also shedding light on, “…a larger fight against a history of misogyny, racism and abuse by law enforcement,” (At Standing Rock).   Native American tribes, especially Native American women, have historically had no power when it comes to taking on the United States government.  The women of Standing Rock, were people who would be directly affected by this new pipeline, and I think they were expected by those most powerful to say anything.  I think they were expected to follow along due to their dis-empowerment, but they didn’t.  They decided to take action into their own hands.  They could talk all they wanted, but unless they made some physical action there would be no change.  Their efforts have led to police brutality, humility, and over 400 arrests (At Standing Rock).  Regardless of this, these women have remained strong and determined, and in doing so, their action has created a internationally recognized movement against environmental degradation made by powerful, rich corporations.

I feel that behind marginalized and poor communities is a sense of defeat, of powerlessness, and of hopelessness.  These communities became this way because of an abuse of power from those at the top.  But, activism offers a way to reclaim their own sense of power, to let them use these feelings of deprivation as motivation to make a difference.  It’s a way of practicing autonomy and taking control over what you feel has been largely taken for granted or exploited, abused by those more powerful.  And, I would say that it’s more likely for an oppressed group or person to want to make these activist stances because of their own relation to oppression, as we have seen with women and nature.  It’s standing up for those who are voiceless, and by doing so, giving them a sense of power.