Gender As The Missing Component In The Turkish Climate Change Policies And Academic Papers | İklim Değişikliği Politikalarının ve Akademik Makalelerin Toplumsal Cinsiyet Perspektifi Açısından Sorgulanması

Abstract

Turkey is extremely vulnerable to the adverse consequences of climate change due to its location. The effects of climate change are not gender neutral and women are more vulnerable than men to adverse effects of climate change. Although the implications of gender in relation to climate change has been extensively researched in the Global South and has started to emerge in the Global North, gender dimensions and analysis of climate change is absent from public policy discussions and academic papers in Turkey. This paper has a dual aim of revealing the gender invisibility with regard to climate change in academic literature and in the national climate change policies in Turkey as well as of increasing the academic understanding of gender dimensions of climate change to inform the public policy in the country. To this end, a combination of broad systematic literature review and document analysis method were used. In addition, decision-making bodies were analysed. I argue that the absence of critical gender analysis in policy and research in relation to climate change reduces the country’s ability to develop adequate adaptation and mitigation strategies since the impacts of climate change can exacerbate existing inequalities with regard to gender. This failure may weaken Turkey’s positions in the international climate change politics and the harmonisation with the European Union.