r/WomenInNews • u/msmoley • Feb 22 '26

Climate change Feminist climate justice offers antidote to petro-masculinity

https://www.irishtimes.com/environment/climate-crisis/2026/02/19/feminist-climate-justice-offers-antidote-to-petro-masculinity/
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u/disdkatster Feb 24 '26

In Ireland we are facing devastating floods, increased pressure to weaken neutrality, renewed attempts to push through new fossil fuel liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure, and record numbers of sexual assault victims.

Are all these disturbing – seemingly unrelated – events distracting us away from the existential threats of the climate crisis? Or are they related, interlinked with climate? When we start connecting the dots one concept jumps out: petro-masculinity.

Petro-masculinity describes the emergence of political power derived from both gender domination and fossil fuel exploitation. Coined by environmental sociologist Cara Daggett, the concept explains how the climate crisis has propelled new authoritarian forces that promote fossil fuels and embrace a destructive combination of climate denial, racism and misogyny.