Climate and gender

It is broadly understood that climate change poses higher risks to, and places greater burdens on, women. This is increasingly acknowledged within climate policy and practice, but neglects a broader conception of gender, failing to recognise how gender intersects with age, disability, race, class, etc., and often excluding the experiences of men and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex people.  

How can we address the complex questions that lie at the nexus of climate and gender? How might we promote approaches to gender and climate that are intersectional, inclusive, and decolonial? 

Join us to explore the breadth and complexity of the intersections between gender and climate and contribute to a conversation about how the University of Leeds can focus further on this intersection.   

We will be joined by Dr Katie McQuaid and Eric Ndawula. 

Dr Katie McQuaid (pronouns: she/her/hers) is a Senior Research Fellow in the School of Geography. She currently holds a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship for her project ‘Gender, Generation and Climate Change (GENERATE): Creative Approaches to Building Inclusive and Climate Resilient Cities in Uganda and Indonesia’. GENERATE creatively investigates the ‘gender-age-urban’ interface of climate change in secondary cities, distinctive in bringing together applied arts and social science methodologies to explore and challenge how gender, sexuality and age intersect and manifest in inequalities. 

Eric Ndawula (pronouns: they/them/theirs) is Executive Director of Lifeline Youth Empowerment Center in Uganda. They are a queer feminist, journalist and activist who believes in mainstreaming cross-cutting issues like wellness, youth, the environment, gender, and disability for meaningful engagement and equity. Lifeline provides needs-based protection and response services to empower gay, bisexual and queer men in Uganda, and addresses environmental justice under their health programme. Eric is a member of the global Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights and is currently a Data Fellow with Data4Change.

This event is part of a larger Climate and… series that is co-hosted by Horizons Institute, the University’s COP27 taskforce, and Priestley International Centre for Climate that will explore the nexus between climate and other global challenges.