A 2021 Swedish study stating that men’s consumption trends “cause on average 16 percent more greenhouse gases” than women’s
Women have a lifestyle that leads them on average to emit less greenhouse gases than men, according to an article by an economist consulted by AFP on Tuesday.
“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’s website on Wednesday. from France.
Wegner acknowledges, however, that, more than gender, it is the level of income that plays “a more important role”, as well as the place of residence, urban or rural. The article was revealed by the French leftist daily Libération.
A specialist in climate economics at the Bank of France, Wegner claims to base himself on a 2021 Swedish study that states that men’s consumption trends “cause on average 16% more greenhouse gases” than those of women.
Men eat more meat than women (67 percent of French vegetarians are women), drive more and spend more on consumer goods.
“Men are more likely to go on vacation to more distant destinations and do it by car,” Oriane Wegner told AFP. Likewise, “airplane-related CO2 emissions are somewhat higher for men,” she added.
“On the women’s side, there are expenditures on goods and services with lower levels of emissions, such as care or health,” Wegner details.
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 their spending is “barely 2%” higher than that of men. said women.
And at the same time, the consequences are uneven.
According to UN studies cited by Wegner, 80 percent of people who had to leave their homes as a result of extreme weather events are women.
“National public policies and international action frameworks would become more effective if the interactions between gender and the environment were taken into account to reinforce their effectiveness,” concludes the author of the article.