Environmental Open Hour will provide a space for interdisciplinary discussion and debate on issues of the environment and our relationship with it.

For one hour we aim to gather people from various disciplines to discuss contemporary issues of environmental politics, the science behind them and their potential consequences.

In this second session, we will be looking to explore the question of: How relevant is Abigail Adams’ historical plea to “remember the ladies” in the contemporary international climate change regime?

Discussion will be kicked-off by a quick presentation before we engage in an open and informed deliberation, involving members from a range of faculties and fields. Tea, coffee and cake will be available.

Important information

This event is only open to UoB staff and students.  Please contact Ed Atkins if you are interested in attending.

Full details

In March 1776, Abigail Adams wrote to her husband John, who was serving as the Massachusetts representative to the Continental Congress, urging him to: “Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favourable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands.”

Forming a large share of the world’s poor, women will be disproportionately affected by the impacts of climate change. Due to their responsibility to secure water, food and energy; women in the world’s rural areas are dependent upon local natural resources for their livelihood and survival. The effects of climate change, such as drought, will make it harder to secure these resources – resulting in an increased vulnerability of these individuals and their families. Furthermore, the historical barriers faced by women have limited their access to processes of decision-making and financial assets that could temper this vulnerability. A 2011 study of natural disasters in 141 countries, found that gender differences in deaths held a significant correlation to women’s rights in those nations.

The majority of policy responses to climate change did and do not consider the gendered effects of environmental problems. Consequentially, in the shadow of current climate change negotiations at Lima, we shall discuss the importance of incorporating such approaches into the understandings of these problems and the discourse surrounding it.

Other Environmental Hour events

Environmental Open Hour - Economic development and sustainability - 7 October, 3 pm

Environmental Open Hour - Environmental degradation and conflict - 11 November, 3 pm