Linköping, Sweden 25 November 2010
Gender, Sustainability & Climate Change
Chair: Måns S. Andersson. Tema department, Linköping University & Royal Institute of Technology KTH, Stockholm

“By insisting merely on women’s vulnerability or virtuousness (based sometimes on questionable statistics or beliefs) we neglect to see the important gendered aspects of climate change and how they may be effectively dealt with” (Arora Jonson 2009).
The fairly short history of gender and climate change research, activism and politics mainly deals with painting two simplistic images of women. Firstly, it is the image of third world women as vulnerable victims of climate change, deprived of information and means of coping. And in addition, burdened by disproportionate work load and care taking responsibilities, sometimes plagued by a fragile physique resulting in for instance increased mortality rates.
Secondly, it is the image of virtuous, proactive first world women with, as compared to men, greater acceptance for drastic climate change policies and measures, a higher level of policy internalization, skepticism against technical solutions and a higher level of sustainable self sacrificing practicing of the 3 R's (reduce, reuse, recycle).
Analyses of the available literature show that gender studies, as discipline, is a latecomer to the field. Gender studies has demonstrated a striking inertness when it comes to reacting to the threats posed by global warming, as well as performing empirical studies in first world contexts and possibly also in producing applicable theory. Despite substantial efforts to put gender on the political and scientific agenda regarding climate change very little has happened within academia. What kind of responsibility does gender research institutions have when it comes to producing the much needed academic knowledge regarding gender and global holocaust scenarios and what are the obstacles and possibilities, organizational and theoretical?
The Gender, Sustainability and Climate Change symposia aims at problematizing current positions and in developing knowledge about the gendered processes and motivations regarding societal climate change adaptation and mitigation, with a special focus on first world settings. The session aims at scholars as well as a practitioners and policy makers.
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