Women have lifestyles that emit fewer greenhouse gases on average than men, but they are more victims of climate change, according to a note from an economist consulted by AFP on Tuesday.
While it may seem at first sight that climate change (for which greenhouse gases are largely responsible, editor’s note) affects the entire population in the same way, studies highlight gender disparities in the behaviors that cause climate change. greenhouse gas emissions and the consequences of climate change, according to a post by Oriane Wegner quoted by the daily Libration and published in full on Wednesday on the Banque de France website.
A specialist in climate economics within this institution, Ms Wegner bases herself on a Swedish study from 2021 to affirm that the consumption items of men are the source of 16% more GHGs on average than those of women.
The difference is explained by men’s propensity to consume more emitting goods and services, such as fuel.
Men are more likely to go to more distant holiday destinations and to go there by car, says AFP Oriane Wegner. Similarly, the CO2 emissions linked to the plane are a little higher for men than for women.
Diet may also play a role, as eating less meat leads to lower emissions. However, according to an Ifop survey of May 2021, in France, two thirds of vegetarians (67%) are women.
In 2021, single men released an average of ten tonnes of greenhouse gases, compared to just over 8 tonnes for single women, even though the expenses of the former are barely 2% higher than those of the latter.
On the women’s side, we observe expenditure linked to goods and services with a lower level of emissions, in particular care, health and the margin of furniture and clothing, details Oriane Wegner.
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However, if gender is a relevant criterion to explain the disparities in terms of emissions, the level of income often plays a more important role, as well as the urban or rural place of residence, she warns.
Faced with the consequences of climate change, men and women are no more equal.
According to UN research cited in the post, 80% of people forced from their homes by extreme weather events are women, and more women than men died in the aftermath of 2005 Hurricane Katrina in the United States. -United.
National public policies and international action frameworks could benefit from taking into account the interactions between gender and the environment to strengthen their effectiveness, and their articulation with climate justice objectives, concludes the author, whose post does not commit the Bank. of France.