108
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Brundtland
Commission 1987: 41). The importance of this often-quoted statement has had a
growing influence as the threats and effects of energy issues become more evident
in the present and worrisome for the future generations.
There is an increased concern in the literature that unsustainable energy practices
have a major impact on vulnerable community groups, particularly on women and
girls. A major issue of sustainable development policies and literature is the lack of
active women’s participation and involvement and therefore their lack of capacity to
cope with unsustainable energy practices. While women’s rights have progressed
throughout the past century, there are still many gaps in the literature and active participation in many forms across the globe. Amartya Sen (1999) posited the need for
increasing women’s agency as “women are increasingly seen as active agents of
change: the dynamic promoters of social transformation.” Sen (1999: 191) also argues
that “the survival disadvantage of women compared with men in developing countries
seems to go down sharply- and may even get eliminated- as progress is made in
women’s agency.” This statement highlights not only the importance of women’s
agency but also the vulnerability of the contexts in which women are immersed.
The complexities of the contexts in which women are embedded have escalated in
the past years due to pressing socio-environmental unsustainable practices at the local
level (Cecelski 2000; Denton 2002; Dankelman 2010; Alston 2014). Cecelski (2000),
for example, argues that from a social standpoint, “women’s economic contribution
is often unpaid, unrecognized and undervalued” resulting in a lack of investment in
technological advancements to relief their burden which limits their agency. On the
environmental domain, it is argued that “the threats posed by global warming have
failed to impress on policy-makers the importance of placing women at the heart of
their vision of sustainable development” (Denton 2002). Unfortunately, the role of
women in society and the household places them at a great disadvantage to men particularly when disasters occur, a situation that worsens during recovery stages. This
is due to the fact that women are often left with sociocultural norms and caregiving
responsibilities which reduce their mobility in seeking shelter from disaster risks.
They also lack access to energy sources, clean water, safe sanitation, and health supplies which adds to their burden (Dankelman 2010). Therefore, in order for climate
change policy to be effective, it must take into account the interests of all stakeholders, signifying that women and those particularly in developing countries must have
a voice in policy decisions that are more likely to affect them (Denton 2002).
Boosting women’s capacity to tackle adverse unsustainable energy practices
through supply of clean, regular energy will alleviate poverty of many people across
the world. “Difficult, time-consuming work of collecting and managing traditional
fuels (which) is widely viewed as women’s responsibility, is a factor in women’s
disproportionate lack of access to education and income, and inability to escape
from poverty” (Kaygusuz 2011: 936). In this regard, Alston (2014) argues that there
is an urgent need for gender mainstreaming in policy documents particularly those
with regard to climate change as the failure to do so “risks cementing gender
inequalities in post-disaster and reconstruction efforts because of the inherently
inequitable power relations, resource allocations and underpinning assumptions on
I. B. Franco et al.
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Brundtland
Commission 1987: 41). The importance of this often-quoted statement has had a
growing influence as the threats and effects of energy issues become more evident
in the present and worrisome for the future generations.
There is an increased concern in the literature that unsustainable energy practices
have a major impact on vulnerable community groups, particularly on women and
girls. A major issue of sustainable development policies and literature is the lack of
active women’s participation and involvement and therefore their lack of capacity to
cope with unsustainable energy practices. While women’s rights have progressed
throughout the past century, there are still many gaps in the literature and active participation in many forms across the globe. Amartya Sen (1999) posited the need for
increasing women’s agency as “women are increasingly seen as active agents of
change: the dynamic promoters of social transformation.” Sen (1999: 191) also argues
that “the survival disadvantage of women compared with men in developing countries
seems to go down sharply- and may even get eliminated- as progress is made in
women’s agency.” This statement highlights not only the importance of women’s
agency but also the vulnerability of the contexts in which women are immersed.
The complexities of the contexts in which women are embedded have escalated in
the past years due to pressing socio-environmental unsustainable practices at the local
level (Cecelski 2000; Denton 2002; Dankelman 2010; Alston 2014). Cecelski (2000),
for example, argues that from a social standpoint, “women’s economic contribution
is often unpaid, unrecognized and undervalued” resulting in a lack of investment in
technological advancements to relief their burden which limits their agency. On the
environmental domain, it is argued that “the threats posed by global warming have
failed to impress on policy-makers the importance of placing women at the heart of
their vision of sustainable development” (Denton 2002). Unfortunately, the role of
women in society and the household places them at a great disadvantage to men particularly when disasters occur, a situation that worsens during recovery stages. This
is due to the fact that women are often left with sociocultural norms and caregiving
responsibilities which reduce their mobility in seeking shelter from disaster risks.
They also lack access to energy sources, clean water, safe sanitation, and health supplies which adds to their burden (Dankelman 2010). Therefore, in order for climate
change policy to be effective, it must take into account the interests of all stakeholders, signifying that women and those particularly in developing countries must have
a voice in policy decisions that are more likely to affect them (Denton 2002).
Boosting women’s capacity to tackle adverse unsustainable energy practices
through supply of clean, regular energy will alleviate poverty of many people across
the world. “Difficult, time-consuming work of collecting and managing traditional
fuels (which) is widely viewed as women’s responsibility, is a factor in women’s
disproportionate lack of access to education and income, and inability to escape
from poverty” (Kaygusuz 2011: 936). In this regard, Alston (2014) argues that there
is an urgent need for gender mainstreaming in policy documents particularly those
with regard to climate change as the failure to do so “risks cementing gender
inequalities in post-disaster and reconstruction efforts because of the inherently
inequitable power relations, resource allocations and underpinning assumptions on
I. B. Franco et al.