Ecofeminism: gender, justice, and planetary health

We’re taking our Beyond the Binary seminar series online with a special panel discussion on ecofeminism and planetary health.

The climate crisis draws into sharp perspective the inter-connectedness of the physical environment, human health, and social justice. Ecofeminism has, over many decades, constructed a notion of “planetary health” that weaves together systems of human, non-human and environmental health through a critical, justice-oriented framing (Gaard & Gruen, 1993; Mies & Shiva, 1993; Spretnak, 1990). As a philosophical and political theory and movement that combines ecological and feminist concerns, ecofeminism reveals how we cannot address climate change through technological and scientific solutions alone, without “…substantially transforming ideologies and economies of domination, exploitation and colonialism” (Gaard, 2015, p20). Ecofeminism provides means to interrogate the root causes of the planetary health challenges, to address the structural inequalities of the climate crisis, and to “unmask” the gendered nature of these inequalities (Gaard, 2015).

This event provides an opportunity to further “unmask” the gendered nature of planetary health challenges through an ecofeminist lens. As the finale of the UCL Centre for Gender and Global Health “Beyond the Binary” seminar series, we have convened a diverse global panel that will expand our understanding of gender, justice, the environment, and global health. Presenters Susan Buckingham, Elizabeth Pardeo, Rita Issa, and Rishita Nandagiri will draw on their academic and activist experience and discuss the implications of ecofeminism as relevant, radical and feasible strategy to address gender justice and planetary health challenges.

Speakers :

Professor Susan Buckingham, Researcher and writer on gender and environmental justice, Series Editor of the Routledge Studies in Gender and Environments

Elizabeth Paredo Beltran, Social Psychologist, columnist, author, and activist of Ecology and Feminism in Bolivia, Executive Director of the Solon Foundation

Dr Rita Issa, GP Academic Clinical Fellow and co-founder of Doctors for Extinction Rebellion

Dr Rishita Nandagiri, feminist researcher and LSE Fellow in Health and International Development