How is Masculinity related to Climate Justice?
A Conversation with Bruce Wilson of Iron & Earth
There is a connection between patriarchal power structures and the causes, effects, and denial of climate change. From academics to activists, people across the world are slowly teasing apart the threads of gender that are woven into the larger issue of climate change.
When we follow those threads, we see, for example, Indigenous women in Canada facing a greater risk of physical and sexual violence when there are resource extraction projects close to their communities.
We also see men feeling pressure to avoid acting in eco-friendly ways, as this behaviour is feminized, and that overall, men are much less likely than women in wealthy countries to care about reducing their carbon footprint.
And while misogyny is not exclusive to the oil and gas industry, it’s certainly present within it. This was made painfully and disturbingly clear in Alberta in 2020, when an Albertan oilfield company created and disseminated a sticker depicting teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg being sexually assaulted.
Patriarchy has contributed to creating our current climate emergency, and is now also contributing to both climate change denial and backlash against climate justice movements. Is there a way to untangle sexism, misogyny and outdated gender norms from climate change and the fight for climate justice?
As much as I look forward to a world without gender expectations of any kind, I can’t help but wonder if we can weave together a new narrative of what it means to be a man, retro-fitting conventional masculinity to better combat the climate emergency.
In an effort to answer these questions, I spoke with Bruce Wilson, Board Member of Iron & Earth, to hear his take. Iron & Earth is a Canadian non-profit working to retrain trades workers in the renewable energy sector.
Bruce began his engineering career with Shell, and remained in oil and gas for many years. As a young engineer, his profession was portrayed as “harnessing the (great) forces of nature for the benefit of mankind”, and while pollution was a conversation within engineering at the time, climate change was not.
Over the years, however, the conversation shifted. Bruce became increasingly knowledgeable about climate change, and adapted his behaviours to try to reduce his own impact: by becoming vegetarian, recycling, and so on, but it wasn’t enough.
Becoming more disillusioned in his work, he felt there was dissonance between what he knew humanity must do — move toward renewable energy — and what he felt was happening at Shell — a combination of foot-dragging on climate action and a “business as usual” attitude.
Leaving Shell, he said, was more than a relief, it was an epiphany. He no longer had to feel like he was lying to himself and living a kind of double life:
“Life is full of the little lies that we tell ourselves to justify our present course of action. When we honestly face the truth, we become unburdened and more whole.”
In September 2019, Bruce joined the Board of Iron & Earth, a Canadian nonprofit working to retrain trades workers in renewable energy.
People like Bruce know that the world is shifting away from fossil fuels, a necessary move for the survival of our species, but a difficult one for economies like Alberta’s, which are so dependent on the oil and gas industry.
Losing jobs is a legitimate fear for many Albertans, and the impacts can be devastating for individuals and communities.
However, by training our trades workers to apply their skills in the renewable energy sector, Iron & Earth is not only helping Canada to transition to green energy, but also ensuring that workers are not left jobless in the transition.
Through their work, they are also creating a new narrative for oil & gas workers — who, here in Alberta, are overwhelmingly male and steeped in hypermasculine workplace cultures which can harm their mental health and perpetuate sexist attitudes.
Yet there’s also an ethos of hard work, and in Alberta, many folks have a lot of pride in our oil and gas industry. Bruce said he understands this:
“I made my money in oil and gas, and we built a society on it, but it’s time for a new legacy. What gives people pride is their diligence, hard work, and innovation — none of these are exclusive to oil and gas.”
The same goes for our society’s older epithets of masculinity: that a man must be a protector, a provider, an action-taker and an analytical thinker. These qualities are not tied to oil and gas either.
In fact, as Bruce argues , these qualities may actually urge us to take decisive action on climate change.
Being analytical and rational directs us to the science of climate change, leading us to try and understand the causes of climate change and how best to combat it.
A protector sees a threat, like the current climate emergency, and takes action to protect the planet — his home.
A rational and just protector, then, would learn to prevent the worst-case scenarios, to shield as many people and as much of our home as he can, while simultaneously taking into account existing inequities to ensure no one is left behind. These ideas are at the very core of a just transition to renewable energy.
“It’s also about courage,” Bruce says. In many male-dominated workplaces, and places in Alberta, where ‘I ♥ Oil and Gas’ t-shirts abound, it’s uncomfortable to be an outlier. Advocating for a just transition to renewables means going against the grain, which inevitably demands discomfort, strength, and courage.
I asked Bruce what he would say to men who feel nervous about the changes accompanying climate justice, and feel as though their identities are under attack.
“Be honest,” he said. “Yes, we will have to change: our jobs will change, our lives will be different.”
Bruce says to consider the benefits, rather than focusing on the fears. “Salaries may correct, but work-life balance, and perhaps our sense of community, will improve. It’s not a loss, it’s a trade.”
Of course, change is never easy, and uncertainty is nerve-wracking. But the Albertan economy may also finally find real stability through diversifying — as opposed to being tied to the boom and bust cycles of global oil prices. Considering the downturn we now find ourselves in, this would be a positive change.
“Consider as well,” Bruce says. “What has more meaning to you?” We are more than our jobs, however much they pay us, and human happiness isn't measured by GDP.
Of course, change is never easy, and uncertainty is nerve-wracking.
But more importantly, Bruce reminds us, “if you’re looking for hope, don’t look backwards”.
Check out Iron & Earth through their website or social media.
Veronika Ilich is the Community Manager for Next Gen Men. Find her at NGM events, on the Modern Manhood Podcast, or on our online Inner Circle forum! She is passionate about social justice, and in particular, gender-based violence prevention and eliminating poverty.