Feminism and Climate Change

[ByGrabtharsHammarWhatASaving]

I've been thinking a lot about climate change recently with all the Xr protests going on. Call me naive but I really didn't realise things were that bad. I mean, I knew they were bad, but I thought we were on track to fix it. I thought we had time to fanny around with recycling and reusable coffee cups. Reading the Xr website and seeing the phrase "mass extinction event" used over and over really got to me. I thought things were going in the right direction, but it turns out we're at ground zero. My own fault for having my head in the sand and not looking deeper into it. Anyway, I was thinking about the ways this all intersects with feminism:

1. Reproductive rights . Clearly over population is a big problem here. On the one hand, increasing access to abortion, contraception, and sex education helps with this. But any attempts to limit population growth in a more active way, such as through legislation, will necessarily infringe on women's rights. China's "single child" policy is an obvious example of this, with it's double effect of not only controlling women's reproduction but also increasing sex selective abortions/ the murder of female infants.

1. Consumerism . Rightly or wrongly, when it comes to things like food shopping, gift buying, and fashion, women have a lot more consumer power than man. Obviously this ties into patriarchal expectations such as women being "just better" at gift buying, women doing the food shop because they're SAHPs, and pressure on women to wear the last fashion which lead to the rise of cheap "fast fashion" like Primark. Under patriarchy we earn less of the money, but in many ways have a lot more say in how it's spent.

1. Unpaid labour . A lot of the stuff we're encouraged to do at an individual level to halt CC comes down to an increase in unpaid labour. Off the top of my head this includes sorting and cleaning things to be recycled, washing reusable nappies, researching and buying eco friendly products, and taking longer over cleaning jobs from using less effective but greener cleaning products. This increase in labour disproportionately affects women.

1. Politics . The main green political party in this country has aligned itself against women and alienated thousands of it's female voters. Women are being excluded from women only short lists. The ability of girls to participate fully in education is being reduced. We are seeing first hand how poorly female activists are treated by the police. In short, climate change activism and feminism have a large cross over, and in many ways a lot of the power for change is in female hands, but women are being excluded at a political and social level, and being discouraged from activism. We need more power but even the small amount we have is being taken from us.

So, those were my thoughts so far. How do we re-engage women in green politics? How do we make the changes that we need to make as a society when many of those changes will disproportionately disadvantage women? How do we balance our fight for women's rights with our desire to not go extinct?

Oh yes Goosefoot. I was only addressing OP's first point on population. Quite agree that while the West, as an example, has many populations now stable, we consume far more per head which causes different environmental problems. Both are major factors, both need addressing.

We have fewer children in part because we want to consume more

That's a really good point, I hadn't thought of it like that.

if we don't find a way I suspect we might see autocratic governments supported by the military

This is the bit I'm most afraid of tbh. This is the bit which sees human rights dismantled.

Are you seriously suggesting that I’m not aware of that? Or just being really snarky?

It should be perfectly clear that I’m talking about people who are living in a city with decent public transport who are deciding, most of the time, to make a lifestyle choice that evidence strongly suggests is harming children.

The economics of children is interesting. They have become in our society an expense which we lavish resources on rather than an extra pair of hands which is what they are in agricultural societies. Interestingly, to keep on FWR point, this does persuade men in such societies that perhaps they need fewer of them.

So many good points especially by KizzyWayfarer. Women will/already do bear the brunt of climate change disasters, as they are often the poorest in an area. Closer to home, women don't have equal rights now, and that's bad enough, but if society starts crumbling around us, our rights will be back to literally nothing. Rapes, beatings and murders will be an everyday thing for all of us.

If anyone has read the book Swan Song by Robert McCannon I fear it will be just like that.

Just getting on what looks like really interesting thread, to make sure I read it later.

Here, have some so I haven't come empty-handed...

Perking I hope that's not from a disposable coffee pod

Or one of those teabags that we have recently learned has plastic in

Nope, have never touched disposable pods.

I've recently been delighted to find a smaller size of unbleached paper coffee filter, to waste less. I realise I should forego paper filters completely, but the reusable plastic filter does a poor job. All of us have our compromises and draw our lines in different places.

And yeah, about plastic in teabags. I've been trying to get away from that for years – not least because I like to home-compost them.

Is a cafetière a bad alternative? (Not a coffee expert, may be a silly question.)

Even if we did reduce our consumption in the west, China and India are raising theirs as living standards increase.

In 2000 10.5m overseas trips were made by Chinese residents. By 2017 it had risen to 145m – an 1,380 per cent increase. And who can blame them following our lead?

I wish I could see a way forward but I can’t at the moment.

Basically, I think a lot of people either don't know or don't believe, and many of those who do know either don't care or feel too apathetic/ powerless to change.

Where do you think belief comes into this? Surely there either is a scientific reason for making lifestyle changes or there isn't? This shouldn't be about beliefs.

Personally, I'm most concerned about things like this:
www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/feb/10/plummeting-insect-numbers-threaten-collapse-of-nature

This won't be helped by turning vegetarian, unless you're eating pesticide-free organic food from small producers, or growing your own - it's intensive agriculture which is mainly responsible for the decline in insect populations.

Wilding the shit out of non-agricultural land would help. There’s plenty of space we could just stop insisting be so tidy.

Definitely need more rewilding.

David Attenborough gave four suggestions I think. Can anyone remember what they were?

Good pointLassI think I meant "need" in a physical sense rather than thinking about emotional need as well. Lots of work doesn't physically need to be office based, but of course working outside the house has other benefits that many people need

Re not needing offices part of the emotional wellbeing of employees involves career and personal development. Mentoring and training junior colleagues is an essential part of my role. Their interaction with other colleagues and clients, getting to know them bouncing ideas and questions from them is a part of their professional development. That's not going to happen with everyone sitting at home.

"Are you seriously suggesting that I’m not aware of that? Or just being really snarky?

It should be perfectly clear that I’m talking about people who are living in a city with decent public transport who are deciding, most of the time, to make a lifestyle choice that evidence strongly suggests is harming children."

People who don't bother are an issue, but not really what I was talking about.

There are a lot of people who practically have a very difficult time making the choices that need to be made, and the only solutions are collective. If a government decides to put in a carbon tax, and all of a sudden many people can't afford to drive, but have no good public transport, you are going to have not only pushback and resentment, but you eventually get real social unrest if nothing is done.
But there are a lot of governments that only want the market parts of the solution without making the appropriate public investments. And a lot of environmentalists will say things like, everyone should move into the city, or telecommute, without really understanding that those are not as sustainable as they think.
Even public transport shouldn't be the first priority in city, it should be having places where most people can live, with their family, and walk to their work. It would be a lot cheaper than extensive transit as well, it's economic artificialities that make it seem less so.

Or one of those teabags that we have recently learned has plastic in

I only buy loose tea.

I've recently been delighted to find a smaller size of unbleached paper coffee filter, to waste less. I realise I should forego paper filters completely, but the reusable plastic filter does a poor job. All of us have our compromises and draw our lines in different places

What's wrong with cafetieres? Bodrum make brilliant portable ones too which avoids using Starbucks et al.

It is odd how quickly the lust for buying unnecessary environmentally unfriendly shite has grown - and in parallel with understanding of climate change, pollution and extinctions. I can only conclude that most people are expert compartmentalisers.

I only buy loose tea.

I’d expect nothing less, Lass

It is odd how quickly the lust for buying unnecessary environmentally unfriendly shite has grown

3 words

Christmas fucking jumpers

Oh dear god, Bernard, now you’ve gone and done it.

Fuck Christmas acrylic fucking jumpers and all who sail in them. And fuck everyone who thinks I’m a meanie for not going to Primark (‘But they’re so cheap’ - as if that’s the fucking issue) so the DC don’t feel left out at school.

We had a fad here for plastic talking fish at Christmas.

Now imagine asking most people to give up their car when a large number of them have lifestyles that are heavily dependent on car travel with limited practical alternatives.

Perfectly do-able in London, unless one deems maintaining a lifestyle exactly as it is - no compromises acceptable - to be more important than not harming one’s own children and everyone else’s children.

Just make the change and the rest will follow.

Don’t want to isn’t the same as can’t.

I know you answered this from someone else who mentioned it, but I know when I visited London a few weeks back, the transport system was mind blowingly good in comparison to what I am used to, and I rely on public transport a lot.

Yes, I can well believe that in London, it's probably harder to rely on a car than public transport, and that really is one solid way forward. But I have to leave the house two hours before work to make sure I am there in good time where I am, because the system is so shit. Proper investment there would certainly make my ears prick up, tbh.

We went for a family day trip this hol to a nearby seaside town, decided to go on the bus to reduce fuel, avoid parking hassles, get kids used to the idea of using public transport.

Said town is ten miles away - it took us over an hour on the bus, each way, and cost a family of four £26. That's why people don't use the bus.

Plus I had to sit next to a Mormon missionary all the way home but that's beside the point.