Climate change is one of the most monumental challenges of our time.
But even as it draws increasing calls for action, one of the most
important steps we can take still gets far too little attention.
To fight climate change, we need more women in the energy sector. Only 15 percent of employees in oil and gas are women, and that number shrinks further for higher-paying, technical jobs.
To understand why having more women in energy will advance this
fight, and how to make it happen, we first need to take a fresh look at
the fossil fuel industry, which supplies the majority of energy the United States consumes.
Despite popular beliefs to the contrary, most leaders in oil and gas
do recognize the reality of climate change. And they want to do
something about it. A survey by EY
found that 93 percent of oil and gas executives believe climate change
is real, and 67 percent say oil and gas companies want to and can be
part of the solution.
These figures, and the industry’s commitment to reducing emissions,
would jump further if there were more women executives at these
companies. Yale reported
recently that “on average, women are slightly more likely than men to
be concerned about the environment and have stronger pro-climate
opinions and beliefs.” And for years, some women in energy have been prominent voices calling for greater action.
But to play its part in tackling climate change, the oil and gas industry also needs innovation. It needs a constant influx of new ideas, systems, technologies and business structures.
The EY survey found that only 37 percent of oil and gas
executives believe their companies are currently doing a good job
combating climate change. Innovation could change that.
To create organizations in which innovation can thrive, the energy sector needs more women. As Stanford has reported,
growing evidence shows that greater equality breeds
innovation—including “the creation of new and potentially disruptive
ideas, products, or services.”
This is true for all forms of diversity.
The more different perspectives and life experiences people bring to
boardrooms and work teams, the more new and creative ideas they come up
with together.
I see this in action every day. And I see how far the traditional
energy sector has to go. After a career in big oil, I left to launch my own company
aimed at bringing more women into the sector. There are still far too
many obstacles preventing women from entering the sector, and from
reaching their full potential within it.
For starters, some people still have outdated—and, yes,
sexist—understandings of what women are capable of. It was just a few
years ago that a man I sat next to on a flight asked me, “What’s a
pretty young lady like you doing in a dark, dangerous business like oil
and gas?”
The sector is paying a deep price for its long-term failure to
recruit and retain a diverse workforce. When other industries beefed up
operations to establish talent pipelines into diverse communities, far
too many energy companies didn’t.
We also need stronger STEM programs for young women, and increasing support for those programs from oil and gas companies.
My organization, Pink Petro, included these steps and more in a report listing recommendations to close the gender gap in oil and gas. And I launched Experience Energy to help energy companies and talented female candidates find each other.
To move forward, oil and gas companies also need to erase the negative perceptions many people have of the industry. The EY
survey found that most executives agree the industry has failed to
communicate an accurate picture to the public. And, the survey found, “less than a quarter of consumers believe most oil and gas companies have acknowledged that climate change is real.”
My husband, daughter and I have witnessed the devastation of climate
change firsthand. We lost our home and my business in Hurricane Harvey.
Throughout Houston, the energy capital of the world, most conversations
around climate change revolve around big questions; a growing search for
big, new ideas, and a desire to transition into new ways of operating.
We talk a lot about how our most important resource is the workforce
that can power us forward.
For big ideas to flourish and big actions to follow, people of all
backgrounds must be at the table tackling these challenges together.
It’s time all Americans see themselves represented among the decision
makers at the companies that fuel our world.
Author: Katie Mehnert
Katie
Mehnert is founder of Pink Petro and Experience Energy. She testified
before the House Committee on Energy & Commerce's Subcommittee on
Energy on February 27, 2019.
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