Where are the men in the climate justice movement?

82% of our followers on Instagram are women. That's awesome! But… Where are the men? Let's talk about it.

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By Luis Iglesias, Researcher at EmpoderaClima and Pedro Godoi, Design Officer at EmpoderaClima

This article came about after some discussions held by our volunteer team when we all came across the fact that 82% of our followers on Instagram are women. Considering we run a project focused on empowering women and girls on the climate agenda, this number is amazing, but as men… it is very worrying. This disparity sheds light on a little-talked-about subject we will try to explore here: where are the men on the climate, environment and gender agendas and why don't we see them in the climate justice movement as we would like? 

As Mary Robinson already said in her "Climate Justice" book, climate change is a man-made problem that needs a feminist solution. Nevertheless, it doesn't mean that men should run away from this responsibility, on the contrary, they should be women's allies in the fight for a more equal and fair world. As reflected on our social media numbers, we don't see men engaged with this subject in real life.

What could be the cause of this? 

As it turns out, there are several factors. 

A 2011 survey conducted in the United States revealed that the largest group of climate deniers and biggest supporters of fossil fuel-based lifestyles were conservative white men. Denial and refusal to believe in science seem to be linked to trying to preserve certain "masculine values", while environmentally friendly behaviors are generally seen as feminine. Another survey, from No Meat May in Australia, corroborates the idea by pointing out that more than 70% of men said they’d rather cut their life expectancy by up to 10 years than ditch meat. 

The connection between meat consumption and masculinity gets even more interesting when we take a look at Carol J Adams' critical theory on The Sexual Politics of Meat (1990). This instigating book links the oppression of women to the oppression of “non-human animals” by examining the cultural roles and meaning of meat. She first identifies the association between meat and masculinity, noting how men consume meat in abundance while women, due to various social pressures, consume less meat or forgo it entirely. Adams ultimately concludes that meat is both a symbol and instrument of the male patriarchy, elevating the status of men while insulting the status of women and animals.

According to political scientist Cara Daggett, the energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energies also has a social dimension that challenges the male identity, especially of white men and men in power. She has even coined a name for it: petro-masculinity. Dagget, the author of the article Petro-masculinity: Fossil Fuels and Authoritarian Desire argues that male identity is built around an economic order strictly linked to fossil fuels, which often leads to an environmentally damaging lifestyle that includes, for example, high meat consumption and driving big cars. With the energy transition, these values come into question.

In general, it seems that greener/eco-friendly behaviors are more likely to be assigned to feminine figures, whereas masculinity is tied to irresponsibility and negligence. A Global Future report found that around 40% of female respondents say they have changed the way they eat food or buy clothes to help fight climate change - in contrast, just 27% of male reported doing the same. A study conducted by Scientific American suggests the same: “these findings highlight how the green-feminine stereotype inhibits men from taking eco-friendly actions, and suggest that masculine affirmation and masculine branding may be effective in narrowing the gender gap in environmentalism”.

So, since women are more associated with the environment, it would be logical to think that they would be the majority in decision-making spaces concerning this, wouldn't they? Unfortunately, this is not quite the case.

While local environmental issues often show stronger female leadership, international spaces are still dominated by white men, as could be seen recently in the UK's all-male commission at COP26. The lack of women was criticized internationally and shows that gender inequality is still very present in international climate decisions, which only contributes to perpetuating patriarchy. According to the organization SHE Changes Climate, only 34% of COP26 committees and 39% of those leading delegations were women. At the 2021 G7 Summit, there was only one woman amongst the decision-makers.

The over-representation of male researchers in intergovernmental bodies such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which is tasked with setting climate change policy and negotiating climate change agreements, has been historically gender blind. Women and indigenous groups, for example, have had to lobby for decades to ensure their needs and realities were reflected in international agreements.

With all of that said, what can we conclude and suggest to fight these issues? 

It seems clear to us that if the climate crisis is to be fought effectively, there needs to be a deconstruction of current "masculine values" and what it means to be a man. The climate movement should incorporate discussions around the connection between climate change and patriarchy, gender norms and masculinities, while also focusing on engaging more men and boys in the climate justice agenda. Only then we can achieve gender equality and get rid of behaviors that are toxic not only to the environment but also to all of us.

 As already said in the “Men, Masculinities & Climate Change: A Discussion Paper” men and boys must be “recognized for the multiple roles they play in addressing climate change mitigation and adaptations and, most importantly, how they can be seen as part of the solution”. By working together, people of all genders can challenge the patriarchal systems that perpetuate climate change to leave behind a more gender-just and ecologically sustainable society for future generations. 

Sources:

Climate change a 'man-made problem with a feminist solution' says Robinson | Reuters 

The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-Vegetarian Critical Theory

70% Of Men Say They'd Rather Cut Their Life Expectancy Than Ditch Meat - Plant Based News

Women More Likely Than Men to Believe the Science on Global Warming - Scientific American

Men Resist Green Behavior as Unmanly - Scientific American

Gender and climate change: Do female parliamentarians make difference? - ScienceDirect

Men, Masculinities & Climate Change: Discussion Paper - Promundo

Men cause more climate emissions than women, study finds | Greenhouse gas emissions | The Guardian

Threatened masculinity as an obstacle to sustainable change | Energy Transition

Is toxic masculinity the reason there are so many climate-hesitant men? | The Independent        

'World designed by men has destroyed many things,' Cop26 warned