Women emit less greenhouse gases than men

Women have a lifestyle that leads them on average to emit less greenhouse gases than men, according to an article by an economist consulted on Tuesday by AFP.

“Although at first glance it may seem that climate change affects the entire population in the same way, there are studies that show gender disparities in the behaviors responsible for the origin of greenhouse gas emissions and in the consequences of climate change. ”explains Oriane Wegner, author of the article, which will appear on the Bank of France website on Wednesday.

The article was revealed by the French leftist daily Libération.

Specialist in climate economics at the Bank of FranceWegner claims to be based on a 2021 Swedish study that states that the consumption trends of men “they cause an average of 16% more greenhouse gases” than those of women.

Men eat more meat than women (67% of French vegetarians are women), use the car more and spend more on consumer goods.

In 2021, single men emitted an average of ten tons of greenhouse gases, compared to just over 8 tons for single women, despite the fact that they spend more on “barely 2%” to that of these women.

Wegner acknowledges, however, that more than gender, it is income level that exerts “a bigger role.”

And at the same time, the consequences are uneven.

According to UN studies cited by Wegner, 80% of the people who had to leave their homes as a result of extreme weather events are women.

“National public policies and international action frameworks would gain in effectiveness if the interactions between gender and the environment were taken into account to reinforce their effectiveness”concludes the author of the article.

Source: AFP