Week 1--Abby

Of this week’s readings, Geraldine Terry’s introductory chapter particularly resonated with me.  In this chapter, Terry addresses the deep yet often overlooked connections between gender and climate change. The themes of Terry’s piece are central to our course, especially in her intersectional approach to discussing climate change. Particularly, Terry focuses on the intersection of climate change and gender justice through discussions of gendered vulnerability. Terry’s idea of gendered vulnerability was especially intriguing to me, and I think her point that, “there is a tendency to present women as victims, rather than as agents capable of contributing to solutions, and to make broad generalizations that lump together all women in the global South” (2009:3) is one that will be important to keep in mind as the course progresses.

Key terms that stood out in this chapter include gendered vulnerability, adaptation strategies, and mitigation strategies. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website shares advice for adaptation strategies, which they say can, “help communities consider possible ways to address anticipated current and future threats resulting from the changing climate” (2018).  In terms of mitigation strategies the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) website describes these types of strategies as, “the effort to reduce loss of life and property by lessening the impact of disasters. In order for mitigation to be effective we need to take action now—before the next disaster—to reduce human and financial consequences later” (2018). I think it is particularly important to note the difference between adaptation and mitigation strategies, since they are closely related concepts that could be easily confused.

Bibliography

Terry, Geraldine. Climate Change & Gender Justice. 2009.

The Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency 2018. “What is Mitigation?” Retrieved January 17, 2019  (https://www.fema.gov/what-mitigation).

United States Environmental Protection Agency 2018. “Climate Change Adaptation Resource Center.” Retrieved January 17, 2019 (https://www.epa.gov/arc-x/strategies-climate-change-adaptation).