Things that left me Shook Week 14

Week 10 Reflection:

This week’s articles by Nagel, Dankelman, and Detraz were clearly tethered to the core overarching theme of this course - gender and climate. Like other readings of this nature, these readings spoke to the many pervasive ways in which climate change disproportionately impacts, with a women. In addition to the traditional ways that women are excluded from the climate change narrative, these articles seemed to focus on the ways in which women are left out of climate science, policy making, and decision making as it pertains to world conferences, summits, etc.

For me, I found these readings frustrating because time after time they discussed motions and desires to include women, or discuss women in relation to climate change with insufficient action. I know that the position I am in is backed by profound privilege and education, and there is a plethora of instances, actions, and events far out of my control that have resulted in the way the world is today; however I find it frustrating that we are still trying to include women in the narrative when women should have been included from the start. Not only just included, but owning  voices within the larger narrative of climate change, along with many other things. One line in the Nagel article, specifically, both resonated with me and embodies my current frustration. In 2010, The UN was “still lamenting gender disparities and their implications for climate change vulnerabilities” (Nagel, 201) ” By 2010, I believe that there should not be any lamenting left to be done, just concrete strides forward to include women, as scientific research has proven that they are disproportionately impacted by climate change. As stated previously, I know my conception of gender inequality and climate change is not exactly rooted in realism - yet, page after page of article I could not help but think “Why are we still talking about this? Talking, instead of doing.”