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Men’s spending on goods causes 16% more climate-warming emissions than women, even though the amount of money is very similar, a study found.
The biggest difference is men’s spending on petrol and diesel for their cars. Gender differences in emissions have been little studied, the researchers say, and must be recognized in action to defeat the climate crisis.
The analysis compared single men and women in Sweden and found that food and vacations caused more than half of the emissions for both men and women. Scientists found that swapping meat and dairy for plant-based foods and switching to rail-based vacations, instead of using planes or cars, reduced people’s emissions by up to 40%.
We think it’s important to consider the differences between men and women in policy-making, said Annika Carlsson Kayama, of the Swedish research firm Ecoloop, who led the study.
The way they spend is very stereotypical of women spending more money on home decor, health and clothing and men spending more money on car fuel, eating out, alcohol and tobacco.
Research published in Journal of Industrial Ecology, excluding fuel for work vehicles such as taxis or plumber’s vans. Previous research has found that in families with one car, men use it more often to go to work with women more likely to use public transportation.
Vacations account for about a third of emissions for both men and women. It was more than I expected, said Carlsson Kayama. They used data for single people because figures for individuals living in families were not available.
Changes in diet and holidays to reduce personal emissions were chosen because they do not require extra spending, such as buying an electric car. It’s a big change of course, but at least you won’t have to look for another job, or borrow money from the bank, he says. So it’s something that can be reached in the here and now. You just use the same money you have and buy something else.
A 2017 study found that the biggest impact individuals can have on fighting climate change is having one fewer child, followed by not using a car and avoiding flying.
Studies in 2010 and 2012 show that men spend more energy and eat more meat than women, both of which lead to high emissions. But Carlsson Kayama says: I’m surprised there hasn’t been much research done on gender differences in environmental impact. There’s a pretty clear difference and it’s likely not going away anytime soon.
The EU’s green deal was criticized last week for failing to include the intersection between gender and the environment.
The climate crisis is one of the main challenges of our time and affects men and women in very different ways, said Leonore Gewessler, Austria’s climate minister. For example, the majority of people affected by energy poverty are women. Therefore, it is very important to incorporate gender differences into the equation, if we are to develop solutions and transformations that work for everyone.
Europe’s Green Deal policies are, at best, gender blind and, at worst, widening gender inequalities, said Nadge Lharaig, at the European Bureau of the Environment, which published a report. Why the European Green Deal needs ecofeminism on Friday.
Expenditure data in the analysis is from 2012, the most recent available. Carlsson Kayama said it was unlikely to change enough today to change the overall conclusion.
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