“It is not just about the number of women,” she said. “It’s about diversity that brings different perspectives and allows us to get to where we need to go, and not getting stuck on an approach that isn’t working.”

A discussion about gender in the context of the UNFCCC climate talks is “an invitation for everyone to consider themselves feminists, not just women,” she said. “It’s about understanding power structures within society; the advantage some have over others because of these legacy cultural biases that contribute to them and reinforce them.”

She has attended past COPs as part of the Women and Gender Constituency, which, she said, “is supposed to have a voice and it has a seat at the table.”

“But it’s performative. It’s like, ‘OK, you gave a speech,’ but then it doesn’t get integrated into the COP priorities,” she said. “That’s why I think some people don’t expect much from the process anymore.”

“In some ways, we are kind of moving into more patriarchal, authoritative political regimes,” she said. “And it’s not just about the number of women in leadership. Because you can have authoritative women who are not feminists.”