Description
In 2014, Sweden launched the world’s first feminist foreign policy (FFP), promoting gender perspectives and women’s rights across its international engagements. While numerous governments have followed suit they have not as yet placed climate change and emergency at the centre of their FFPs. Environmental degradation and global warming exacerbate societal issues, widen disparities, and increase food insecurity, resource scarcity and displacements – disproportionately affecting marginalised communities, including women. Despite this, climate change remains underexplored within existing FFPs. Building on my PhD research in this paper I examine how FFP states understand climate change and gender inequality and the extent they are currently developing gender-responsive climate policies. Importantly, what lessons can we learn to inform FFPs, and how can those insights be implemented in the future? Designed as a case study, the paper scrutinises the intersection of gender and climate considerations in the policies of FFP states. Using Bacchi’s WPR approach to analyse interviews with foreign policy experts and policy documents concerning gender (in)equality and climate change, this project will produce key knowledge of how these challenges are understood in current frameworks.These understandings ultimately shape whether policies find adequate solutions to a climate crisis threatening lives and ecosystems. My research moves beyond women’s rights and gender justice, suggesting lessons for inclusive solutions to the greatest challenge of our time.
