Masculinism, climate change and “man-made” disasters

Abstract

There is overwhelming evidence that the world's climate is changing and that human-caused greenhouse gas emissions have made a significant impact on the climate in general and global warming in particular. Such climate change can contribute to extreme weather events such as heatwaves, floods and tropical cyclones, which in tum can create disasters. In addition to extreme weather conditions, gradual sea level rises increase flooding in coastal communities and rising temperatures will impact on water shortages and food crops. While it may be difficult to provide scientific evidence that any one climate-related disaster such as a flood, bushfire or drought is linked with climate change, the trend over time demonstrates that there is an increasing frequency of such disasters (Boetto and McKmnon, 2013). Bouwer (2011), for example, cites research which demonstrates that while nonweather-related disasters such as earthquakes have remained constant, weather-related disasters such as floods, cyclones, storms and wildfires have increased in frequency and severity around the world in recent years. Alston (2013) also argues that many environmental disasters are caused primarily by climate change and Neumayer and Plumper (2007) maintain that nature is never the sole cause of disasters, as disasters are shaped by social, economic and cultural relations. In light of the increasing evidence about global warming, disaster risk reduction must address the social and human causes of climate change. Helma (2006) argues that disaster studies can be usefully informed by climate change research because it Locates vulnerability to disasters in the context of long-term global and local processes. Thus, taking human-induced climate change and increasing climate-related natural disasters as a backdrop, this chapter explores the gendered nature of the causes of and responses to climatic events around the world.