Cool Women fighting Climate Change

The fight against climate change requires innovative solutions and diverse perspectives. The GIZ cluster Proklima is tackling both, working across Latin America and the Caribbean to promote green cooling technologies while empowering women in a traditionally male-dominated sector. With women representing less than 10% of cooling technicians, several projects under the GIZ Proklima cluster are actively working to change this. Their initiatives focus on training, awareness-raising, and advocacy, creating pathways for women to thrive in this vital field.

Breaking stereotypes: Training, Visibility, and Gender Awareness

In Grenada a group of women is breaking stereotypes and driving change in the cooling sector. By 2023 seven female trainers committed to qualify more women in the use of natural refrigerants, and overall, in empowering women to enter the male dominated sector. To facilitate Grenada’s switch towards Green Cooling, one of Proklima’s projects, Cool Contributions Fighting Climate Change (C4) II, supports the training of RAC technicians in the safe use and handling of natural refrigerants – and has trained 251 female technicians. Get to know those women in this video: Salt and Pepper - Women in Refrigeration

Brazil has seen a surge of activity with 13 exclusive training sessions designed specifically for women. GIZ Proklima, specifically a project supporting Brazil’s HFCF Phase-Out Management Plan, forged partnerships with schools, women's groups, companies, and industries to develop these courses. Their goal is capacity building through best practices, raising awareness about the importance of sustainable cooling and attracting women to careers for example as cooling technicians. Additionally, instructors who participated in an exclusive training gave highly positive feedback, recognizing the session’s impact on fostering a more welcoming atmosphere for women.

To reach a broader audience, especially key stakeholders, including local governments and funding agencies, an institutional video was produced. Audiovisual campaigns like this are essential for raising visibility and driving meaningful change: 1st Women's Class - Best Practices for Better HCFC-22 Containment in Room Air Conditioning Systems.

Previously, to prepare for successful gender activities, a national meeting was held to educate trainers, particularly male instructors, on the importance of creating inclusive learning environments and addressing unconscious biases. The instructors gave highly positive feedback, recognizing the session’s impact on raising awareness and fostering a more welcoming atmosphere for women.

Dialogue, Negotiation and Leadership with a Gender Lens

In Colombia, GIZ Proklima, specifically the Green Cooling Initiative (GCI) project III, marked the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women 2022 with an internal dialogue focused on women's development in complex workplaces. This event provided a platform for open discussion and reflection.  Recognizing the need for practical skills development, three workshops or female technicians and engineers in the refrigeration and air conditioning sector were subsequently held.  

Beyond technical training, GCI III addressed the importance of women's leadership in the field. A negotiation workshop with a specific gender perspective was held, incorporating a dedicated module on "Female Participation and Leadership in Negotiations" within a regional workshop. This module facilitated discussions on the dynamics of diverse negotiation groups, explored negotiation approaches under female leadership, and emphasized the critical need to deconstruct harmful stereotypes.

With all these activities GIZ Proklima’s multifaceted approach, encompassing training, advocacy, and awareness-raising, is paving the way for a cooler future, powered by the diverse talents of both men and women.