United Nations Economic Commission for EuropeStatistical DivisionUnited Nations Economic Commission for EuropeStatistical Division

Measuring environment and climate change from a gender

perspective

Where to start?Gender Statistics Work Session

Geneva, April 2010

April 2010 UNECE Statistical Division Slide 2

Objectives: Point out the main stakeholders

Attempt to categorise different exploratory areas in the research

Present key activities and publications in UNECE region and beyond on interface between gender and environment & climate change

Introduce papers

Discussion on measurable areas relative to gender and feedback for UNECE future work

April 2010 UNECE Statistical Division Slide 3

Main Stakeholders People Private sector – industry, business leadership Public sector – NSOs, policy-makers Universities – research NGOs, lobby groups UN agencies

• FAO• UNCTAD• UNDP• UNEP• UNECE• UNSD• Regional Commissions (ECE, ESCAP, ESCWA, ECLAC, ECA)

April 2010 UNECE Statistical Division Slide 4

Conceptual MapPeople (Gender)

Resources

Recycling, Renewables + Alternatives

Infrastructure

1

2

6

43

57

8

9

April 2010 UNECE Statistical Division Slide 5

Examples 1. Impact of pollution (Health) 2. Access to amenities (MDG7) 3. Institutional use/distribution of natural resources

(mining), policy (treaties) 4. Environmental protection (NGOs, lobby groups) 5. Individual access to natural resources (i.e. food) 6. Agriculture 7. Recycling actions 8. Sustainability and climate change 9. Impact of Environment initiatives (research,

evaluation)

April 2010 UNECE Statistical Division Slide 6

Sources of information 1. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/its-official-men-really-are-the-weaker-sex-1055688.html 2. http://www.escwa.un.org/divisions/scu/GenderMDG/index.asp

http://www.eclac.org/mdg/goal_7_en.html 3. http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_15/items/5257.php 4. http://www.ejfoundation.org/ http://unstats.un.org/unsd/environment/default.htm 5. http://www.fao.org/spfs/en/ 6. http://agriculture.einnews.com/russia-cis/ 7. http://www.defra.gov.uk/evidence/statistics/environment/pubatt/index.htm

http://www.statistik.at/web_en/statistics/energy_environment/environment/environmental_conditions_and_behaviour/index.html

http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_322_en.pdf 8. http://www.unece.org/stats/publications/Measuring_sustainable_development.pdf http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-78-09-865/EN/KS-78-09-865-EN.PDF http://koensforskning.soc.ku.dk/konferencer/climate/ http://www.un.org/womenwatch/downloads/Resource_Guide_English_FINAL.pdf 9. http://www.polsoz.fu-berlin.de/en/polwiss/forschung/systeme/ffu/

http://www.oecdbookshop.org/oecd/results.asp?CID=&LANG=EN&SF1=SeriesIdentifier&ST1=ser-00141p1&SORT=sort_date/d&DS=OECD%20Environmental%20Performance%20Reviews

Cross-cutting: http://www.undp.org/energyandenvironment/gender.htm

April 2010 UNECE Statistical Division Slide 7

SESSION III: Emerging issues in gender statistics: (continued)

Sub-session D. Environment and climate change from a gender perspective

Invited paper:• “Gender and Environment Statistics”, Gerry Brady & Helen

Cahill, CSO, Ireland Supporting papers:

• “Gender-specific environmental behaviour in Austria:Environmental conditions and behaviour - Micro-census 2007”, Alexandra Wegscheider-Pichler, Statistics Austria

• “A Gender Analysis on Food Security Statistics from National Household Income and Expenditures Surveys (NHIES)”, Seevalingum Ramasawmy, FAO

April 2010 UNECE Statistical Division Slide 8

Gender-specific environmental behaviour in Austria:

Environmental conditions and behaviour -

Micro-census 2007 Ecological buying behaviours of men and women

• Organic and energy efficient products

• Different gender patterns but it is not possible to discern whether these are due to different gender roles, different personal interests

• Looked at single person households to try and eliminate “underlying” gender effects from hard behavioural differences – surprising results

Recycling/waste sorting

• No major differences in behaviour

Transport (public/private)

• Some striking differences, as IE paper also suggested

April 2010 UNECE Statistical Division Slide 9

Reflections

Statistical challenges - Difficult to separate out:

• Purchasers and consumers (ie mums buy, kids eat)

• Decision chain between Intentions and Behaviour

Gender also embedded in aspects not directly related to people (cf link between infrastructure & resources)

Poverty / wealth economic transition all play an important part in individual behaviours

Not there yet on many levels, but on its way…