Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Glaring ‘Own Goal’ by Patriarchy – Part 2

Atmospheric Transformation and Its Impact

By Prof. Yukio Kamino

Welcome back to our series exploring the intersection of the climate crisis and gender inequality. In Part 1, we examined how patriarchal systems have driven environmental destruction and introduced the urgent need for ecological consciousness among young women. Today, we delve into the physical processes behind greenhouse gas emissions and their devastating global impacts.

The Introduction in our previous issue highlighted how this series invites She Sight readers to pay closer attention to male-directed atmospheric transformation, which is causing dramatically negative effects worldwide. This second installment examines the physical processes behind greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and their impacts. Simply put, male-directed industrialization has polluted our atmosphere, heating up the planet (global warming) and causing escalating climate change and weather pattern alterations that threaten our wellbeing.

The planet-heating process of the Industrial Revolution is clearly explained by the BBC (2024): “This long-term climate change has been caused by human activity, mainly from the widespread use of fossil fuels—coal, oil and gas—in homes, factories and transport. When fossil fuels burn, they release greenhouse gases, mostly carbon dioxide (CO2). This traps extra energy in the atmosphere near the Earth’s surface, causing the planet to heat up. Since the start of the Industrial Revolution—when humans started burning large amounts of fossil fuels—the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere has risen by about 50%.”

As early as 1901, the impact of atmospheric pollution that “traps extra energy” was metaphorically termed the “Greenhouse Effect” by Swedish meteorologist Nils Ekholm (1848-1923). In his prescient words, “the atmosphere may act like the glass of a greenhouse, letting through the light rays of the sun relatively easily, and absorbing a great part of the dark rays emitted from the ground, and it thereby may raise the mean temperature of the earth’s surface” (Gibson 2021; emphasis mine).

But why is warming the Earth such a grave problem for humanity? Among many devastating effects, the most noticeable has been the emergence of weather patterns that millennia of our ancestors never experienced. Due to massive GHG emissions that alter climate and weather systems, countless people—especially in the Global South—have lost their homes to intense flooding, desertification, wildfires, and other “natural disasters” of human origin. Many have also lost their means of livelihood: farmlands have become unproductive due to drought or flooding, and fisheries have declined as marine life cannot survive in rapidly warming seas. Coral reefs—equivalent to forests on land—have lost their function as homes for countless oceanic life forms.

As humanity now must share diminishing food resources with an enlarged population, food prices rise worldwide in an eco-social chain reaction. While the wealthy may afford higher food costs, the poor face hunger, malnutrition, and premature death. Regarding the scale of human vulnerability, the BBC (2024) reports: “About 3.3 to 3.6 billion people are highly vulnerable to climate change.” With the official 2022 human population around 8 billion, nearly half of all humans have become “highly vulnerable” due to climate change (Dyvik, 2024). According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), “over 90 percent of people living in climate-vulnerable countries” lack “social protection” against emerging destructive weather patterns (UN News, September 12, 2024).

In summary, male-led “modern civilization” has emitted enormous quantities of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. Combined with countless other ways patriarchy has destroyed the planet—transforming massive territories for “development” by cutting down trees that could have absorbed CO2—patriarchal systems have built a greenhouse around our planet. The Earth is no longer the same planet it once was; previous weather patterns are extinct. Many experts now predict that today’s youth, children, and unborn generations face an uphill battle against this horrible legacy of climate change—what I consider, in football terms, the most devastating “own goal” humanity has ever scored.

Looking Ahead

The coming instalments will briefly review the science of global warming since the 19th century, experts’ warnings issued in the 20th century to avoid today’s climate crisis, and how male elites responded to these warnings. Regrettably, we find ourselves in challenging, if not depressing, circumstances as patriarchal narrow vision and selfish interests have prevailed, leaving an enormous negative legacy for younger generations to overcome.

Next week in Part 3, we will explore the historical development of climate science and early warnings that went unheeded. Until then, I encourage you to observe the changing weather patterns around you and consider how these transformations affect the most vulnerable in your community. The knowledge we build together will be essential for the courageous action our planet desperately needs.

References:

• BBC News (February 8, 2024). “What is climate change? A really simple guide.”
• Gibson (January 27, 2021). “120 years of the ‘Greenhouse Effect.'”
• Dyvik, Einar H. (July 3, 2024). “Population – Statistics & Facts.”
• UN News (September 12, 2024). “Half the world lacks social protection amid climate crisis, ILO warns.”

VIP Columnist

Dr. Yukio Kamino is a distinguished resource person at OISCA International, a Japanese NGO devoted to promoting ecological sustainability. With a rich academic foundation in social sciences, humanities, and metaphysics, he has contributed extensively to the fields of ecofeminism and sustainable development. Kamino’s research and writing skillfully intertwine feminist principles with ecological wisdom, illuminating the urgent need for female-led approaches to environmental crises. His work continues to inspire global dialogues on achieving a fairer, more inclusive, and ecologically conscious world.

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