Is the climate crisis sexist?

We need to talk about eco-anxiety

Author: Zineb Jaoudat
Editors: Sophie Palmer

My Story

I grew up in Marrakech, the red city full of colour and joy, in a household where perfect strangers were treated like family. From late-night car rides feeding the homeless to hosting foreigners, my parents instilled in me the duty of care. They opened their hearts to the world and taught me to do the same. As a child, I would accompany my mom to nursing homes and orphanages, holding her hand as tightly as I could: in awe at her humility and gentle nature with others.

At 13 years old, I was offered the opportunity of embarking on my journey of giving back to the world. I volunteered in Tighdouine - a rural mountain region and home to an indigenous tribe in Morocco. I vividly remember my first visit, sitting on the freezing floor; I felt shivers all over my body. Seven people, in a small dusty room, drowning in silence. I was in a room filled with strangers in the middle of nowhere. Outside, I appeared calm; inside, a fire was raging.

I spent the next three years visiting the region and building a local school with my classmates. I have always felt at peace in those remote mountains: surrounded by nature and a simple way of life. To this day, I am mesmerised by the abundant generosity and unconditional kindness of its people. They welcomed us with open arms, and the smiles never left their faces. They’ve always given us more than they could afford and never expected anything back. 

A Strong Bond

Over the years, I developed a strong bond with the Tighdouine region and its people - especially the younger girls. We were the same age; yet we lived in two different realities. We lived in the same country; yet it felt like we grew up in alternate universes. While I worried about my school grades, they worried about finding clean water. While I dreamed of travelling the world, they dreamed of a safe place to call home. While I planned for the next five years, they worried about the next few days. How can one focus on the future if the present is uncertain? 

In a conversation with one of the girls, Mariam, she explained how the ever-changing environment affects their day to day lives. She told me how women are responsible for household tasks such as fetching water: a task often made impossible with increasing desertification. In their search for basic needs, some families cannot afford to send their daughters to school. Left with no education, for some marriage becomes the only option; reinforcing economic disparities and further limiting their access to resources.

Witnessing first-hand the devastating effects of the climate crisis on my people ignited something within me. I felt angry, anxious, powerless and most definitely lost. I knew that I needed to take action, but I didn’t know where to start. I started slowly giving up and believing that there was no way out. The more I visited the village, the more I realised that giving up was not an option for many. So who was I to give up? I became determined,  channelling my anger into action and learning that every small step matters.

Women fighting at the frontlines of the climate crisis

Mariam’s story is but a drop in the ocean of so many of those on the frontline of the climate crisis. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recognises that: “the greatest single impact of climate change could be on human migration”, creating extensive population displacement and a major migration crisis with 80% of people affected being women. Forced to flee their homes, many find themselves facing a new threat - higher risks of sexual assault in refugee camps. Female refugees girls are also less likely to go to school and face higher rates of child marriage, domestic violence, physical and psychological abuse.

When talking about the climate emergency, we often forget that it is already a lived reality by many. Indigenous and underprivileged communities failed by broken colonial systems; communities that have contributed the least to the climate crisis yet are the most affected by it. We also fail to recognize that women are disproportionately affected in all corners of the globe. This difference in vulnerability stems from non-climatic factors: gender inequalities embedded in our society and deeply rooted in our systems.

By way of contrast, women are the ones at the forefront of the climate movement. These powerful change agents play a pivotal role in the fight for climate justice, from indigenous women protecting their lands to younger girls leading the climate strikes. Nonetheless, they are the least represented in decision-making spaces worldwide: out of 195 countries, only 22 have a   woman as a head of state. Meanwhile, research shows that achieving gender parity is important to the global economy. The Power of Parity, a report published by the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), explores how tackling gender equality can add $12 trillion to global growth and achieve economic prosperity - now crucial more than ever to ensure economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis. 

Ecofeminism and intersectionality

The term ecofeminism was first coined in 1974 by French feminist Françoise d’Eaubonne, in her book ‘Le Féminisme ou la Mort’. Taking a holistic approach to solving the climate emergency, this movement explores the connection of women and nature. Undoubtedly, both people and the planet suffer from the unjust effects of gender norms. As Nergiz De Baere, founder of @chicksforclimate explains in Episode Six, Season Two of the Force of Nature podcast, "Ecofeminism seeks to make a connection between how capitalism and the patriarchy exploit both the planet and women. Ecofeminism connects those two things together as one." As a movement, it demands respect for both women and the natural world and aims to dispel the historical narrative of our patriarchal system controlling and exploiting.

One could argue that the climate crisis is merely a symptom of a dysfunctional society. Admittedly, it is the result of systemic inequalities and broken systems where profit comes before people. To solve it, we must first acknowledge its nuances and understand the overlapping injustices at its core. We can no longer talk about the climate crisis while turning a blind eye to social justice.  We can no longer campaign for the protection of the Amazon Rainforest while forgetting the Indigenous communities that call it home. The world’s crises have no barriers or borders, nor do their solutions.

While there may be a plethora of problems, there is for sure a myriad of solutions. Now more than ever, we must remember that it is not all doom and gloom and that there is still hope. We must join our forces and allow ourselves to imagine a better and brighter future for all. There is power in our human collective and catharsis in our unity.

You can listen to Episode Six, Season Two, of the Force of Nature podcast here.