Women and marginalised groups ‘being failed by Govt’

IRELAND’S climate policies are failing women and marginalised groups including Travellers, disabled and the elderly, a landmark report has found.

The research was commissioned by Feminist Communities for Climate Justice through a joint project between the National Women’s Council of Ireland and Community Work Ireland.

It was conducted by Dr Fiona Dukelow, Dr Catherine Forde and Edith Busteed of University College Cork.

The report found gaps in government policy, which they say is worsening inequalities experienced by some sections of society.

They include the absence of women and marginalised groups in climate decision making, the lack of gender specific data about the impacts of climate breakdown, omission of care work from domestic climate policy and failings in current Just Transition plans to reduce inequalities.

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Project Coordinator Collette Mcentee said: “This report clearly shows the Government has a blind spot when it comes to the overlap of the climate crisis and its impact on women, disabled people, Travellers and many others. This has to change.

“If we are to meet our climate goals and make a Just Transition, it must be a fair, sustainable transition for everyone.

“It means investment in public services, such as accessible, affordable public transport, childcare, green energy alternatives and retrofitting, and it means valuing and supporting work which is already climatefriendly and essential for our society, such as paid and unpaid care work.”

Dr Dukelow added: “The climate crisis does not impact everyone equally in Ireland. One of the most striking disparities is in greenhouse gas emissions by income.

“The top 10% in Irish society have carbon footprints between 3.8 and 35.8 times the size of the carbon footprints of the entire bottom 50% of the population.

“This disparity carries through in how climate policies burden particular groups.”