Men, Masculinities & Climate Change

"...few studies look at the diverse and nuanced ways in which boys and men...impact and are impacted by climate change, including as heads of large corporate sector organizations that are the drivers of climate change, as energy consumers, as victims of environmental degradation, and as agents of change alongside women and girls. There is little recognition that men's diversity - according to social class, ethnic group, sexuality and other factors - also affects not only the way that they live their lives, but the way that they drive or respond to climate change."

In this discussion paper, the authors aim to establish a rationale for understanding boys' and men's multiple roles in climate change by conducting an analysis of masculinities (characteristics associated with what it means to be a man) in patriarchal systems that play a role in perpetuating climate change. It seeks to build on and complement the foundational perspectives women's rights colleagues and feminist activists have contributed to the climate debate. The purpose of such an analysis is to identify opportunities to engage men and boys as agents of positive change, alongside women and girls, and further strengthen the call for social, economic, and environmental justice for all.

As explained here, gender analysis on climate change over the past 3 decades has brought to light the disproportionate effects of climate change and environmental degradation on women's lives - particularly those of low-income women in global South settings. Understanding the influences of patriarchy - a system that upholds men's power over women as well as unequal power dynamics among men and among women - is presented here as critical to identifying causal relationships and developing solutions to tackle climate change. Men's identities within patriarchal societies have been based upon the need to subordinate the surrounding natural environment to support the need for continued modernisation and economic growth. The modern fields of science such as meteorology, physics, and chemistry have connections to military tradition, which "exaggerates the bipolarization of gender....[T]he alliance between the military and scientific research results in solutions more consistent with military missions than with empowering men and women to develop sustainable strategies for mitigation and adaptation..."

The paper outlines several detrimental impacts of the reluctance to address the gendered root causes of climate change. For instance, the notion of the "big man" in rural southern Africa, which includes the ability to accumulate wealth in the form of people (women and children) and assets such as land, cattle, and equipment, "is causing a crisis of masculinity in areas of changing natural resources. In cases such as these, participation in conflict and use of violence can become an alternative means to achieving and wielding power in society....Gender socialization at the individual level, where boys and young men are often taught to be assertive, unfeeling, and unafraid, and girls and young women are taught to be passive and emotionally caring (particularly towards their families), may also impact how men and women view and respond to climate change in general. In recent polls conducted in wealthy countries, men are less likely to consider climate change a serious threat."

In short: "Patriarchy is harmful to our climate. Efforts are needed to advance this perspective by engaging men as human beings who are also vulnerable to disasters brought on by climate change and as actors with agency to enact change alongside women activist allies....Working with men and women on gender transformative approaches to responding to climate change is, therefore, not presented here as the only answer, but a valuable opportunity to synchronize different voices towards the shared concern of addressing harmful climate change." The authors stress the need to engage key stakeholders in order to develop a holistic approach to this topic. They say that such actions should include the following aims:

• "Map out who is doing what in the intersectional field of gender and climate change and what evidence of good practices already exists;
• Develop key messages on what patriarchy, gender norms, masculinities and/or engaging men and boys have to do with climate change and formulate of a plan of action;
• Strategize how to unite this approach with existing work with men and boys as allies for gender justice;
• Ally the men, masculinities and gender justice field with other economic justice movements that also work on climate justice."

Having identified various gaps around advocacy, research, and programming that they believe merit further exploration and action in future discussions, the authors pose a number of questions:

1. How can organisations that are engaging men and boys more intentionally share spaces with feminist advocacy groups and add further strengths to the call for climate justice? Some ideas presented here include: advocating for the voices of women on the climate change agenda; promoting the inclusion of women in decision-making processes around climate change decisions such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC); highlighting, through advocacy and research, the gender gaps in science and technological innovation; promoting gender-transformative approaches in agriculture, aquaculture, and climate change resilience programmes; and serving as allies on other issues that gender-informed climate justice activists are advocating for.
2. How can we engage men in position of power? Can we approach men as fellow citizens, consumers and producers for a gender-just environment? Can we approach them as caregivers and fathers who are concerned about their children's lives and futures?
3. What about a child-centred approach to promoting sustainable development? This includes asking children what they think about climate change and what their ideas are. Men as caregivers can join and sign the Global Parents Call.
4. What are the linkages between hegemonic masculinities and environmental degradation? More research is needed to understand men in all their diversity and how views about manhood influence men's beliefs about climate change.
5. How can we build on existing innovative areas of research? Approaches like the "Environmental Space" approach may be useful, the authors say, to highlight how gender inequalities play out in environmental terms.

The paper ends by suggesting that, by working together, persons 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.