The contribution of gender justice to successful climate politics: Research results for the context in Germany

Bike parked in a flood

© GenderCC

Research report launched

The final report of the research project “The contribution of gender justice to successful climate politics: impact assessment, interdependencies with other social categories, methodological issues and options for shaping climate policy” GenderCC was involved in, has now been published by the German Federal Environment Agency. In addition to the German summaries of the various work packages, it also contains a 15-page summary of the results of the research project in English.

The final report can be downloaded here.

Project description

The research project “The contribution of gender justice to successful climate politics: impact assessment, interdependencies with other social categories, methodological issues and options for shaping climate policy” examined the added value of a gender perspective for climate protection and adaptation and developed recommendations for taking action. It aims at supporting the integration of gender dimensions into climate policy, in particular in Germany. The project was conducted by GenderCC in cooperation with the Wuppertal Institute and the Institute for Social-Ecological Research (ISOE).

The research project involved three work packages:

  1. A systematic review of the literature on gender and climate change to provide data and evidence relevant for industrialised countries and to analyse hinderances and how to overcome resistence to integrating gender. Moreover, an analysis of the relevant international agreements and mechanisms and their strategies to address gender issues, as well as their implications for gender-responsive national climate policy was undertaken. Finally, a methodology for a gender assessment of national mitigation and adaptation programmes was developed and applied to the German climate change programmes.
  2. The instrument of gender impact assessment (GIA), which was developed in the German Envrionmental Ministry in the 2002-2004 for legislative processes, was further developed and adjusted to climate policy, primarily (but not exclusively) for the German institutional context. It was tested using selected climate change mitigation and adaptation measures and discussed with climate change and GIA experts.
  3. Based on the analysis of work package 1, the benefits of integrating gender dimensions into climate policies and measures and on the question of how climate policies can facilitate gender justice were identified. Furthermore, recommendations were provided on how to close information gaps and improve regular data collection, as well as how to integrate gender into German climate policy.

Results of the research were provided at the end of each consecutive work package and in a final report. An expert workshop and events at UNFCCC meetings allowed for the results to be discuss and further disseminated.

 

Interdependent gender aspects of the fields of need mobility, consumption, nutrition and housing as the foundation of urban environmental protection

Against the background of the steady trend towards urbanization and current developments in gender relations in society, the focus of this research project is on their interdependences with and impacts on urban environmental protection. Role-specific behaviors and responsibilities, such as the unequal distribution of care work between the genders, differences in the distribution of incomes, or gender-specific consumption and nutrition practices are decisive here. The purpose of the project is to determine the state of knowledge on gender aspects in the fields of need mobility, consumption (such as clothing), nutrition and housing for urban environmental protection. Building on this, programs and measures (such as Habitat III, New Urban Agenda, SDGs) related to urban development will undergo a gender analysis, in order to derive research recommendations to generate ideas, e.g. for future research, planning processes, the design of federal programs, and other effective measures for the promotion of sustainable urban lifestyles and infrastructures.

In essence, the following research questions will be addressed:

  • Which gender-specific patterns of behavior and societal changes, as well as gendered structures, have particular urban environmental effects in the areas of mobility, clothing, nutrition and housing, including the overarching aspects of digitization and collective use?
  • What are the interactions and how are they taken into account in sustainable urban and infrastructure development, transport planning, sustainable construction, mitigation / adaptation or sustainable clothing and food production, including their supply chains?

 

The project “The contribution of gender justice to successful climate politics: impact assessment, interdependencies with other social categories, methodological issues and options for shaping climate policy” was funded within the scope of the Departmental Research Plan of the German Minstry for the Environment, Nature Protection, Building and Nuclear Safety (project number 371641119).

The project “Interdependent gender aspects of the fields of need mobility, consumption, nutrition and housing as the foundation of urban environmental protection” is being carried out on behalf of the German Federal Environment Agency / German Federal Ministry for the Environment in a cooperative network between GenderCC – Women for Climate Justice, ISIconsult and the artec Research Center Sustainability at the University of Bremen. Duration: 1.11.2017 to 31.10.2019​

 

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