By Shelley Lawes
While climate change was at the absolute forefront of political debate at the beginning of this year, these discussions have taken something of a backseat in the midst of recent events. In light of this, I just wanted to take a moment to briefly remind everyone of some of the indispensable insights that feminism has when it comes to the climate.
Climate change is almost certainly the greatest threat facing humanity today, and gender-sensitive analysis is still all too rarely taken into account when discussing it. Ultimately, though, feminist insights are absolutely indispensable when it comes to understanding and combatting this crisis (as well as basically every single other). A great example of this indispensability are the insights we can make when applying a feminist lens to a few of the causes of climate change.
It is relatively undisputed that one of the fundamental causes of the climate crisis – albeit certainly not the only one – is capitalism. Capitalist production and consumerism have long put substantial pressure on regimes around the globe to sacrifice environmental concerns in order to maximise economic growth and unsustainable production. Applying a feminist lens here reveals that both of these phenomena are overtly gendered. For one, feminist theorists have long highlighted the significance of the overvaluation of “masculine” traits when it comes to capitalist production. Capitalism is, in many ways, dependent upon a very specific form of masculinity – which privileges traits such as power and ruthlessness – in order for it to appear to be a legitimate and just system. It is also inherently linked to masculinist narratives of domination and exploitation, as well as a long colonial history.
Overpopulation is also frequently cited as a cause of environmental degradation; those who claim this are almost invariably referring specifically to populations in the non-Western world. While there is arguably some truth in this (more people on this Earth will, of course, inevitably put somewhat more strain on the environment), a feminist lens reveals that this claim is somewhat problematic. Identifying overpopulation in the Global South as a cause of climate change conveniently obscures the far more problematic issues at play. 1 While the policy suggestions that stem from this claim can certainly be considered relevant for the advancement of gender equality – such as removing obstacles to women’s access to family planning and other opportunities – it is critical to note that this conveniently pinpoints women in the Global South as the source of the problem. In reality, however, eighty percent of the world’s population has been responsible for only twenty percent of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.2 In other words, population control is not a viable solution – especially not in countries that have contributed some of the least to climate change today. Ultimately, then, analysing this “cause” of climate change reveals a crucial intersection of gendered and colonial politics.
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It is also crucial to note that a lack of action on these issues dramatically affects women. Women suffer differently, and disproportionately, as a result of the impacts of climate change, yet still remain consistently underrepresented in discussions surrounding it. Take, for instance, the fact that women are fourteen times more likely to lose their lives to ecological disasters than men.3 This isn’t due to any innate vulnerability – it’s due to oppressive social structures and long-term, systemic inequality. Climate change thus needs to be tackled as a social issue – not a purely scientific one. As with so many other issues facing the world today, viable solutions will only present themselves when we truly begin to prioritise women’s experiences.
Reference:
Gaard, Greta. “Ecofeminism and climate change.” Women’s Studies International Forum 49 (2015): 20-33. https://blogs.vitoria-gasteiz.org/ceagreenlab/files/2017/11/Ecofeminism-and-climate-change.pdf