Women Political Leaders as Agents of Environmental Change

This paper explores how female political leaders impact environmental outcomes and climate change policy actions using data from mixed-gender mayoral races in Brazil. Using a Regression Discontinuity design we show that, compared to male mayors, female mayors significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with particularly strong effects in the Amazon—one of the world’s most critical regions for climate mitigation. These reductions are driven by declines in emissions intensity (CO2e/GDP) in the Land Use sector, without affecting local economic activity, and are largely explained by lower deforestation. We then examine the mechanisms underlying these effects. In Amazon municipalities, female mayors place greater emphasis on environmental issues in their campaign proposals, are more likely to invest in environmental initiatives, and increase the enforcement of environmental regulations. Together, these results point to differences in policy priorities and in their implementation as key channels through which female political leadership improves environmental outcomes.