Bio:
Nathalie Chalifouris an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa where she teaches property law, environmental law, and sustainability law, and directs the Graduate Program in Environmental Sustainability for the Institute of the Environment. Her main area of research is environmental law and policy, with a focus the intersection between the environment, social justice and the economy. Her publications address a variety of topics, including the impact of environmental policies on marginalized groups, climate justice, ecological fiscal reform, and sustainable forestry. Recent articles include: 'A Feminist Perspective on Carbon Taxes' (CJWL, 2010); 'Are climate change policies fair to vulnerable communities? The impact of British Columbia's carbon tax and Australia's carbon pricing proposal on indigenous communities' (DLJ, forthcoming 2012); and 'Promoting Environmental Justice Through Environmental Assessment - the Case of Fort Chipewyan and the Kearl Oil Sands Joint Review Panel' (JELP, 2010). She is the co-editor of Critical Issues in Environmental Taxation, Volume V (Oxford University Press, 2008), Land Use Law for Sustainable Development (Cambridge University Press, 2007), and the looseleaf service The Canadian Brownfields Manual (LexisNexis, 2004; updated annually). Prior to joining the Law Faculty, Nathalie was senior advisor to the President of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, worked for the World Wildlife Fund, IUCN, and taught at the University of Nairobi, Kenya. She obtained her Doctorate of Law at Stanford University, and holds a Master in Juridical Sciences while a Stanford Program in International Legal Studies Fellow and Fulbright Scholar.
Title of paper:
'Climate Justice for Women in Canada'
Abstract:
The world is changing rapidly in many different ways, one of which is through climate change. Global average temperatures are consistently rising due to increased greenhouse gas (GHG), resulting in more frequent and extreme weather events (from droughts to storms) and changes to land and seascapes. The impacts of these changes will be felt throughout economic and social structures. For instance, agricultural sectors will be impacted when crops behave differently due to weather change. In the North, communities that rely upon the permafrost to support roads and other infrastructure are already feeling the impacts of melting ice. Labour markets will change due to shifts in the economy away from carbon-intensive energy production. Some of these changes will affect women in particular ways, and extensive research has already documented the vulnerability of women to climate change in developing regions. This paper identifies how climate change will impact women in Canada and how climate change mitigation strategies can be developed in a way that promotes women's equality. For example, research shows that women contribute less to the GHG emissions that cause climate change, but that women are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change than men for a variety of reasons, ranging from having lower average incomes to their socio-economic roles. The policies and programs aimed at addressing climate change also have a gendered element, with some of the policies, such as carbon pricing, creating greater burdens for women and other policies, such as tax incentives, being less accessible to women. The differential impacts of both climate change and the policies and programs meant to address it are important factors in the quest for equality. This paper discusses the ways in which gender equality is affected by climate change and the policies (or lack of policies) to address it in Canada and concludes by elaborating on what climate justice means from the perspective of gender equality in Canada.