Sécurité Environnementale et Pollution Plastique des Océans: Genre et Géopolitique en Asie Du Sud-Est
Publisher: Université Catholique de Louvain
Author(s): Maureen Walschot
Date: 2020
Topics: Gender, Renewable Resources, Weapons, Waste, and Pollution
The concept of environmental security investigates the relationship between security and the protection of natural resources, while acknowledging the changing condition of the global environment. Ocean plastic pollution is one of these rapid environmental changes. On average, eight million tons of plastic debris enter the seas every year, impacting, in multiple ways, marine ecosystems and the coastal populations depending on them. Women are particularly vulnerable to the phenomenon, both for social and biological factors. However, scholarship has lacked a gender sensitive approach in addressing the issue. In this regard, this paper provides an insight into the gendered nature of both global environmental politics and security studies. Drawing from a case study on ocean plastic pollution in the South-East Asia region, this article establishes the flaws in so-called dominant approaches to environmental security and illustrates how a feminist approach redefines our comprehension of the environment-security nexus. This research addresses as well the necessity of integrating gender in the debate on security studies and environmental issues.