Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Glaring ‘Own Goal’ by Patriarchy – Part 5 (Final)

The Great Deception: How Patriarchy Sabotaged Climate Action

By Prof. Yukio Kamino

Welcome to the final installment of our series examining patriarchy’s devastating environmental legacy. In Part 1, we established the urgent connection between gender inequality and climate crisis. Part 2 examined the physical processes behind atmospheric transformation. Part 3 traced the development of climate science from the 1800s onward. Part 4 revealed how presidents Johnson and Nixon responded to early climate warnings. Today, we expose patriarchy’s most cynical response: the deliberate disinformation campaign that has paralyzed meaningful action for decades.

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As mentioned earlier, a one-day climate symposium commemorating “Restoring the Quality of Our Environment: Report of the Environmental Pollution Panel” (1965) was held in 2015. The journal Science published an editorial titled “Climate Warning, 50 Years Later” by Marcia McNutt (November 2015). This editorial carried a complex message: while Science celebrated this first official warning from scientists to policymakers about increasing greenhouse gas emissions, it also lamented that humanity in general—and the USA in particular—had failed to heed the valid warnings issued by the 1965 report.

The editorial underscored a sobering reality: while “fifty years ago, the problems of global warming seemed distant and highly uncertain,” “today, we are already experiencing impacts from climate change.” Moreover, it admitted that humanity’s future looked increasingly bleak. “Unfortunately, the proposed steps [the 2015 Paris Accords] are inadequate contributions toward meeting the goal of keeping the increase in average global temperature to below 2°C [later lowered to 1.5°C based on new scientific findings], a target that would avoid the worst impacts from warming.”

Therefore, rather than congratulating ourselves on the validity of the 1965 report, we should acknowledge our catastrophic failure to respond to its urgent call made sixty years ago. In my view as a male eco-feminist, this tragic outcome directly relates to our failure to achieve a gender revolution. The 1965 report stated that “countervailing climate changes therefore need to be thoroughly explored” (p. 127)—advice that signals to me the time has come for humanity to eliminate the still-prevalent patriarchy and transition to either gender-equal or female-led civilization to avert climate catastrophe.

The Pattern of Male Environmental Betrayal

As one prominent example of anti-environmental male leadership, Part 4 discussed President Nixon’s case. Unfortunately, the world in the 2020s remains ruled by thousands of males like him who cannot understand that protecting the Earth system represents our most crucial priority.

To substantiate this claim, let me quote from “Scientists warned about climate change in 1965. Nothing was done” by Adam Levy (2023), a podcast episode featuring commentary from those who have been involved in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, global warming, and climate change. I focus on observations by Naomi Oreskes, whom Harvard University describes as “a leading voice on the role of science in society and the reality of anthropogenic climate change.”

Regarding another turnabout-destructive U.S. president, Oreskes (2023) commented:

“When George H.W. Bush ran for president…he said that he was going to address the problem of climate change, and he specifically said he was going to bring the power of the ‘White House effect’ to fight the greenhouse effect…But that didn’t happen…we see a turnabout in policy in the Bush administration itself, and by the mid- to late 1990s, you’re really hard-pressed to find a Republican leader in America…who is prepared to offer leadership on this issue.”

So President George H.W. Bush became another “turnabout U.S. president” like Nixon—promising environmental action while campaigning, then abandoning those commitments once in power.

The Fossil Fuel Industry’s Disinformation Campaign

When asked to elaborate on how patriarchal leaders conducted their “disinformation and obstruction campaign” since the 1980s to suppress the environmental movement, Oreskes (2023) revealed the systematic nature of this deception:

“The fossil fuel industry did two things. First, at ExxonMobil, they dissolved their climate research group. They either fired the scientists or had them move on to other things. And instead, they began to work with other fossil fuel companies to create organizations that would spread doubt about the reality of climate change, doubt about the integrity of the science and doubt about the motivation of scientists. So just to give you one example, ExxonMobil played a leading role in creating a group called the Global Climate Coalition to prevent the United States from signing the Kyoto Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, in order to prevent meaningful policy action.”

Thus, U.S. citizens were subjected to a “Triple Doubts Campaign” designed to make the general public question “the reality of climate change,” “the integrity of science,” and “the motivation of scientists.” In Levy’s (2023) words, “a slick campaign by Big Oil led to confusion, politicization and dire consequences for the planet.”

But are oil companies especially patriarchal? Aaron Foyer (2025) confirms this reality: “Senior leadership in energy firms is still largely male-dominated.” While “women make up 20% to 25% of senior positions in solar and hydropower firms,” they represent even fewer positions in “conventional [i.e., fossil fuel or nuclear] energy firms.”

Foyer doesn’t explain why female senior leaders are so scarce in conventional energy firms. Perhaps these companies exclude women from senior positions because numerous surveys conclude that women are more ecologically oriented than men. Alternatively, perhaps the vast majority of women avoid such positions because they recognize that their male counterparts would be far less environmentally concerned. Either way, this leaves male leaders of fossil fuel firms free to adopt ecologically destructive policies. They may, for instance, establish deals with male politicians (mostly Republicans?) who, in turn, pass legislation ensuring that male-led fossil fuel companies can freely exploit fossil fuels and emit greenhouse gases.

My Conclusion as a Japanese Eco-Feminist

As a Japanese eco-feminist, I lack access to verify possible behind-the-scenes deals in the USA, so such anti-environmental actions cannot be presented as empirically proven facts. However, the documented stories involving President Nixon, President George H.W. Bush, ExxonMobil leaders, and other fossil fuel company executives who joined the Global Climate Coalition have been cited from credible sources throughout this series.

Therefore, my best educated assessment is that there exists a strong association between “agents of patriarchy” and “agents of planetary destruction.” The evidence is overwhelming: from the earliest climate warnings to today’s ongoing crisis, male-dominated institutions have consistently prioritized short-term profits and power over long-term planetary survival.

The path forward requires the very gender revolution that patriarchal systems have resisted for decades. Only by elevating women’s voices, perspectives, and leadership can we hope to break the destructive patterns that have brought us to the brink of climate catastrophe.

What do you think, She Sight readers? The future of our planet may well depend on your answer—and your action.

Thank you for joining this journey through the dark history of climate denial and the bright possibility of gender-led environmental justice. The time for awareness has passed; the time for action is now.

Please feel free to reach me at: [email protected]

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References:

• President’s Science Advisory Committee (November 5, 1965). “Restoring the Quality of Our Environment: Report of the Environmental Pollution Panel.”
• McNutt, Marcia (November 13, 2015). “Climate warning, 50 years later.” Editorial, Science.
• Levy, Adam (2023). “Scientists warned about climate change in 1965. Nothing was done.”
• Foyer, Aaron (2025). “Women in Energy: 2025.”

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