Women's Environmental Network

The motion

That the Parliament notes that the Women’s Environmental Network aims to empower women to make positive environmental change, increase awareness of women’s perspectives on environmental issues and influence decision-making to achieve environmental justice for women; further notes the publication of Gender and Environmental Chemicals, a scoping study to identify key gender-related issues for international policy-making on chemicals management and safety, commissioned by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which recommends how best to have a gender perspective and input to environmental policy and processes; recognises that the biological, physiological and sociological differences between men and women need to be taken into account when considering how exposure to chemicals in the environment may affect them; considers that a gender equality approach needs to be taken to protect women’s health and help women participate more in environmental decisions about policies, processes and forums; believes that it is essential that women are brought into the mainstream of environmental decision-making processes, whether community-based or those initiated by governments; is concerned that new research shows that environmental and occupational exposures to toxins are contributing, or suspected of contributing, to a range of serious health problems in humans, as well as in many other species, and in particular notes the evidence of problems arising from early exposures, pre-natally and in infancy; notes that, in view of the strength of evidence for the hormone-disrupting actions of BisphenolA (BPA), several US States, Canada and several commercial firms have voluntarily withdrawn products containing BPA; believes that, as a precautionary measure, polycarbonate plastic baby-feeding bottles and other drinks bottles should be removed from sale, and further believes that a toxic use reduction programme should be considered.


No recorded vote on this motion. Most motions are never debated, and many that are debated are agreed without a division. Vote records are published from 2011.

Lab 10 Con 2 SNP 2 LD 1 Green 1

Party shown is each supporter’s party when the motion was published.

No contribution in the Official Report cites S3M-03613 by reference.