Ecofeminism or Ecological Feminism
What is ecofeminism?
Ecofeminism or ecological feminism is a concept that emerged in the 1970s along with the nuclear non-proliferation movement and environmental activism. Ecofeminism, which puts the damage to the environment into theory and practice on the axis of women's exploitation and women's empowerment, argues that all living things are related to each other; The damage done to the earth underlines the solid links between exploitation of the planet and sexist exploitation .
How did it emerge?
In 1972, Françoise D'Eaubonne founded the “Ecology-Feminism Center” in Paris and coined the term ecofeminism in 1974. The first ecofeminist conference took place in 1980, among the triggers of which was the near “complete meltdown” accident of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in the USA in 1979. At this conference, it was discussed that environmental destruction and the threat of nuclear annihilation are supported by the same "male" mentality that oppresses women ; The women's movement was also incorporated into the environmental movement.
Since then, ecofeminism has developed, changed and developed other approaches within itself. Liberal ecofeminism, cultural ecofeminism, socialist ecofeminism, queer ecofeminism and vegan ecofeminism are some of them.
Let's get to the biggest reason we want to talk about ecofeminism.
Women are more affected by the climate crisis.
While the damages of climate change are felt more and more day by day in numerous areas such as agriculture, food security, biodiversity and ecosystems, water resources, human health, migrations, energy, transportation and industry, it is reported that these negative effects affect women more than men. The reasons for this include the fact that they constitute the majority of the world's poor and the large number of women who live lives dependent on natural resources threatened by the climate crisis. Women, especially in rural and remote areas, are more affected by climate change, thanks to their unequal access to resources and decision-making processes.
Therefore, gender-sensitive strategies need to be determined when approaching the climate crisis.
