Climate change is a feminist issue
Mary Robinson, former Irish president and a UN high commissioner, is leading a new initiative in the fight against climate change.
What’s different about this project is that it highlights the particular effects climate change has on women’s lives, and aims to use humour rather than prophecies of doom to get the message across.
"Climate change is a manmade problem that requires a feminist solution," said Robinson at the launch of "Mothers of Invention", which opens with a series of podcasts showcasing the work of grassroots activists in countries such as India, Kenya, South Africa and Peru.
"Climate change is not gender neutral; it affects women far more. So this not about climate change, it is about climate justice," she said.
Robinson has teamed up with Irish-born, New York-based comedian Maeve Higgins for the podcasts, introducing their female guests with jokes and backchat rather than the "doom and gloom" with which the debate is generally associated.
"This is for people like myself who feel stuck, knowing there are actions they should be taking but are paralysed by despondency," said Higgins.
"The capitalist patriarchy is not going to solve this. We need to."
The capitalist patriarchy will undoubtedly take some shifting, though, particularly in Africa, it would appear.
According to analysis by clean-energy advocacy group Oil Change International, wealthy countries have been promoting fossil-fuel development across the continent far in excess of renewables.
The group estimated that in 2014-16, 60% of public aid for energy projects in Africa was spent on fossil fuels, compared with 18% on renewables.
China is considered the worst offender, providing $5 billion a year, 75% of which supported oil and gas extraction, and 13% coal-fired generation.
Our planet's resource crisis
Earth Overshoot Day, the day of the year that marks when human consumption exceeds Earth’s annual capacity to regenerate, was determined as being 1 August in 2018.
That is two days earlier than ever before, and two weeks earlier than in 2008, when the global recession marked a notable drop in consumption and fossil-fuel use.
"Our current economies are running a Ponzi scheme with our planet," said Mathis Wackernagel, CEO of the Global Footprint Network (GFN).
Overshoot days vary. Qatar is seen as 2018’s worst offender, reaching that point on 9 February, according to GFN.
The US (15 March), Denmark (28 March) and Australia (31 March) also failed to make it past the quarter-year mark.
Scott Pruitt figures and facts
505 Number of days Pruitt held the position as admiminstrator of the US government's Environment Protection Agency (EPA)
14 Number of federal investigations Pruitt faced over his spending habits, conflicts of interest and secrecy
700 Number of EPA staff that left the agency during Pruitt’s tenure
$1,560 Amount billed to the EPA for 12 customised silver pens
$43,000 Cost of installing a soundproof phone booth in his office
Quote of the month
"Most Americans today understand that climate change is a reality. Saddling young Americans with a crushing environmental debt … is as immoral as leaving behind an unsustainable fiscal debt"
Carlos Curbelo, Republican member of Congress
.png)
.png)
