Emma Watson Feminist Activist

On Saturday, Emma Watson gave this speech about feminism at the United Nations Headquarters, and let me tell you, she got me thinking a lot about the connection between climate change and women’s rights.

I’m not going to gush over Watson’s heartfelt delivery, or her seemingly genuine candor, or her eloquence, not to diminish any of those things. I readily admit that I initially scoffed at the idea of Watson addressing the U.N. on gender equality — was [insert name of young, pretty white actress of the moment here] busy? — but when more and more women whose opinions I respect started sharing the link to her speech, I thought, “OK, Hermione, I’ll bite.”

And then I felt like a cynical bitch (I am who I am)! Because, while she didn’t say anything truly revolutionary, I really thought she spoke compellingly about something that seems very obvious but isn’t talked about nearly as much as it should be: That it’s going to be very hard for women to attain equal political, economical, and social rights without the support of men. Watson, a new ambassador for U.N. Women, was speaking to promote the new U.N. campaign, HeforShe.

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To say that women can’t accomplish great things without men — but it’s harder to get things done if literally half the world kind of lurks around idly and fails to get actively involved in effecting change. What kinds of things have to be changed, anyway? Oh, gee, I don’t know. Giving women a voice in their healthcare decisions, ensuring that girls have equal access to education, ending wage discrimination — just for starters!

At the exact same time that Watson was addressing U.N. delegates, hundreds of thousands of people were marching literally right outside the building to bring attention to another little issue that will only affect a select few: Our old friend, climate change!

Each of the feminist causes that Watson brought up — education, reproductive health, fair wages — is very much tied to the future of the planet. When girls are educated, they can participate in policy decisions and lead scientific research — and since there’s evidence that women are more likely to take the science behind climate change seriously, we really can’t afford for that

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Control over their uteri, they can make decisions around how — and when — they contribute to population growth. And when women are paid fairly, they’re better equipped to deal with the challenges that climate change would throw them. Basically, there’s no such thing as sustainable development without equal participation of both women and men.

And yet there was absolutely no connection drawn between the march and her speech, although both were very highly publicized. That’s kind of weird! I, personally, would have loved for Watson to have brought that message to the climate march in some capacity — not that she necessarily had a lot of say in the matter.

And not to close on an entirely bummer note or anything, but how did a (very small, awful, and unrepresentative, granted) segment of the male population respond to Watson’s speech? By threatening to release nude photos of her — as punishment for demanding equality for women, I guess? I honestly can’t be bothered to explore the idiotic, inane delusions of the quasi-human cesspool that is 4chan.

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If you’re still curious (a nice way of saying confused, maybe?) about the link between women’s rights and climate change, BREATHE EASY! I’ll be exploring that relationship in posts to come.

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At , we don’t believe in paywalls. Instead, we rely on our readers to pitch in what they can so that we can continue bringing you our solution-based climate news.   British actor Emma Watson was appointed UN Women Goodwill Ambassador in July 2014. The accomplished actor, humanitarian and recent graduate of Brown University will dedicate her efforts towards the empowerment of young women and will serve as an advocate for UN Women’s HeForShe campaign in promoting gender equality.

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At just 24 years of age, Emma has already been involved in the promotion of girls’ education for several years and previously visited Bangladesh and Zambia as part of her humanitarian efforts. She has worked to promote fair trade and organic clothing and served as an ambassador for Camfed International, a movement to educate girls in rural Africa.

“Being asked to serve as UN Women’s Goodwill Ambassador is truly humbling, ” said Emma. “The chance to make a real difference is not an opportunity that everyone is given and is one I have no intention of taking lightly. Women’s rights are something so inextricably linked with who I am, so deeply personal and rooted in my life that I can’t imagine an opportunity more exciting. I still have so much to learn, but as I progress I hope to bring more of my individual knowledge, experience and awareness to this role.”

Emma is best known for her role as the iconic character of Hermione Granger in the globally successful “Harry Potter” films. Her performance in the first film of the series, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, ” won her a Young Artist Award for Best Leading Young Actor.

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Since the completion of the eight-film series, Emma has shown her versatility as a performer with her first screen roles, including the 2011 Golden Globe–nominated “My Week with Marilyn” and the 2012 award-winning coming-of-age film “The Perks of Being a Wallflower, ” for which Emma picked up the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Dramatic Movie Actor and Best Supporting Actor Award at the San Diego Film Critics Society Awards for her role.

Emma was most recently seen in “The Bling Ring, ” the apocalypse comedy “This is the End, ” and the epic biblical tale, “Noah.” Her upcoming projects include “Regression” opposite Ethan Hawke and the film adaptation of “The Queen of the Tearling.”

In 2012 Emma was honoured with the Calvin Klein Emerging Star Award at the ELLE Women in Hollywood Awards, and in 2013 she was awarded both the Trailblazer Award at the MTV Movie Awards and the GQ Woman of the Year Award.

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UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Emma Watson delivered a powerful speech at a special event in New York to kick-start the HeforShe campaign, a dynamic solidarity movement for gender equality. More