The UAE continues to be a forerunner in implementing solutions to climate change. Many influential women are tackling climate change through directing corporate sustainability and re-envisioning a sustainable future through architecture and fashion design. A 2009 State of the World Report in London revealed that women are disproportionately affected by climate change, so social justice and environmental preservation are increasingly linked. Artists and creatives approach social justice work as a means to address sustainability. Here are just 10 of the women addressing climate change in the UAE.
- Dina Storey
Dina Storey is the Director of sustainability operations at Dubai Expo 2020. She has over 12 years of extensive corporate experience, and a thorough grasp of global sustainability practices, sustainable reporting, and financial cost benefit analysis, business development and risk mitigation. Described by Mariska Nell, podcast speaker on corporate and individual sustainability; “Dina has an absolute wealth of knowledge and experience that she brings to the table that has been a great asset to the projects I have worked with her. She is great with strategic planning and finding the best possible solutions. Dina has a true passion for sustainability!”
- Nourie Flayhan
Nourie Flayhan is an illustrator and story teller. Based in the UAE, her roots are deep in the Levantine Mountains. She designed the art behind the ‘Breaking the Plastic Habit’ for Niche, a community hub on the ground floor of ICD Brookfield Place, one of the most ecologically friendly buildings on the planet. The illustrator is an active voice on the discussion of reimagining an inclusive future. On the topic of sustainability she says, “I remember picking fruit and vegetables whilst growing up and my grandfather, he always taught me to appreciate the land around us and have a deep connection with it,” Flayhan told Arab News.
- Nada Taryam
At the panel “Women Fighting Climate Change” hosted by ENGIE Middle-East, South & Central Asia and Africa at the France Pavilion Expo 2020 Dubai, Managing Director of Civil Projects at Bee’ah, Nada Taryam discussed methods and strategies that can help highlight women’s growing contributions towards a clean energy, net zero carbon emissions future, including by strengthening collaboration.
- Bayan Dahdah
Bayan Dahdah is a Palestinian multidisciplinary designer, based in Dubai, interested in fusing the realms of physical and digital art, in order to tell stories. Her work is a self-reflection on identity, culture, and philosophical musings on the fusing of digital and real life; an earnest artist’s glimpse into how modern day innovation affects our personal lives and deeply rooted histories.
- Hadya Alrajaby
Hadya Alrajaby is a Deputy Operations Manager at the Sustainability Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. In 2018, she received her Bachelor of Science focused in Environmental Health Science from University of Sharjah. She believes that protecting the environment is an important aspect in achieving overall human wellbeing, and she is skilled in environmental health and safety, public speaking, environmental auditing, and occupational health. She works to deliver mega events, while protecting our environment.
- Eman Shafiq
Eman Shafiq is the creator of “BioSand, an unprecedented new material currently in development that investigates the use of UAE desert (dune) sand in Architecture and Product Design applications. A fully organic and biodegradable material, BioSand was developed through rigorous primary research by Eman Shafiq. Created without the use of mined materials, such as lime, granite, clay etc., the material aims to shift the way we construct from methods that deplete natural resources to ones that are more cyclical and sustainable in the long term,” Eman Shafiq designs shares on Instagram.
- Araceli Gallego
Araceli Gallego is the founder, podcaster, and editor-in-chief of Dubai Fashion News, where she shares all the latest updates of the fashion industry. She is also the co-founder of Goshopia, a digital platform for sustainable fashion dedicated to slow, ethical, and sustainable fashion, an increasingly important topic in the high consumption and high waste industry of fast fashion.
- Kristina Zanic
Kristina Zanic, the lead designer behind Kristina Zanic Design Studio, was featured to tell a story about sustainability and earth preservation at Dubai Design Week. Kristina’s exclusive designs are often a result of the fusion of elements and details from her travels. “We worked on this design challenge to really talk about sustainability, to look at social gathering; to create a pathway that is immersive in terms of sustainable approach to design,” she shares via Instagram.
- May Barber
May Barber was featured on the panel, “How Are We Moving Towards Sustainability and Design?” In Dubai Design Week. This discussion was centered on how architects and designers have been and are still impacting the movement within architecture, product design and other forms of design. She works on helping companies and brands integrate sustainability strategies at the core of their model, and she is passionate about making a positive change and communicating it authentically and creatively.
- Christine Wilson
Christine Wilson is a sustainable artist and designer, who uses upcycled fashion and art as her medium. She’s an Irish based designer that now lives in Dubai. She says, “in a world where waste has reached a peak along with the alarming environmental impact it has never been more important to purchase mindfully and care for the things and people around us.” She created an installation for Dubai Design Week, along with the ‘Breaking the Plastic Habit’ for Niche, at eco-friendly designed ICD Brookfield Place.