what’s the problem?

- Masculinist mentality dominating global climate negotiations and global climate action:
o focussing on technocratic measures while making women’s and indigenous’ voices and knowledges invisible
o focussing on science-centred approaches that disregard justice issues (who bears the greatest burden of climate change? do they get to participate to the discussions on climate action? Are they heard and represented?)
- Climate change cannot be addressed simply by providing a technical solution. For example, REDD+ programmes that promote reforestation cannot be implemented without asking the questions of displacement. Development of biofuels shouldn’t be lauded as a solution without addressing the green grabbing it induces in certain regions.

what’s the solution?

for states
- Inform both domestic policies and the country’s approach to international climate negotiations with insights and proposals from civil society activists, women’s groups, indigenous voices,…
- assess climate mitigation/adaptation policies not just by looking at purely scientific outcomes, but also social ones
- make room for and/or echo the voices of most vulnerable groups in international negotiations such as UNFCCC’s COP
- promote greater representation / diversity within one’s own negotiation team and in international negotiation settings in general
- lead by example: redefine the country NDCs so that they not only aim for the 1.5º target, but also include recognition of justice issues in their wording
- partner up with non-state actors in order to implement inclusive mitigation/adaptation policies
- political action can also be taken at the sub-state level: e.g. cities connecting with one another transnationally to propose a more inclusive way of tackling the climate crisis

for researchers
- produce research that assesses the social justice impacts of mitigation/adaptation policies in order to inform decision-making
- make more room in your research for local knowledges that have historically been neglected, yet could provide alternative ways of dealing with the climate crisis

Bottom line: A feminist foreign policy must be one that does not satisfy itself with global climate action that reproduces and reinforces existing inequalities. Instead, it needs to promote urgent, radical climate action that is just and leaves no one behind.