Study finds "worrying lack of diversity" at Bristol's climate change debates
White men tend to dominate climate change meetings in the city
Last updated 13th Oct 2021
A study found there is a "worrying lack of diversity" in climate change related debates and decisions in Bristol.
The University of Bristol reported white men dominated meetings on how to tackle the issue in the city.
Researcher Dr Alix Dietzel said: "I was observing the first meeting of the study when I noticed men dominating the discussion. I spontaneously decided to count the number of times people spoke, organised by ethnicity and gender. The results were so stark I continued to do the same for the rest of the meetings we observed."
The report found that although the same number of white men and white women attended meetings, white men spoke two-thirds of the time – almost twice as much as their female counterparts.
Also, just 5% of participants were men of colour, who spoke only 1% of the time. Women of colour comprised 14% of participants and they were found to speak just 2% of the time.
People of colour make up 16% of Bristol's population, according to Bristol City Council.
The University of Bristol spent one year focussing on the work of six climate change bodies, both in the public and private sector, in the city.
The six bodies reviewed were:
- Bristol One City Environment/Economics Board (public sector)
- Bristol Advisory Committee on Climate Change (public sector)
- Arup (private sector)
- Cycling Works (private sector)
- Black and Green Ambassadors (civil society)
- Liveable Neighbourhoods (civil society)
Bristol launched its One City Climate Strategy last year, becoming one of the first cities in the world to officially pledge to pursue a just transition to combat climate change - meaning one that is green, sustainable, and socially inclusive.
Researcher Dr Alice Venn explained: "Bristol is a leader in climate policy with ambitious 2030 targets and a commitment to a just transition so, as a city, we have an important opportunity to harness public engagement and to set an example of how a just transition to a low carbon future can be achieved.
"To do this, we need to overcome the challenges in implementation and ensure an inclusive, consultative process in which the needs of climate-vulnerable and marginalised groups are prioritised."
The University of Bristol is part of the COP26 Universities Network, which aims to improve access to evidence and academic expertise for the summit for the UK Government, NGOs, and the international community.
Ahead of COP26 (31st October - 12th November), Bristol residents can attend the Cabot Institute’s Annual Lecture online 'COP26 – Are You Paying Attention?' (20th October) where leading voices in the climate change debate will be sharing their perspectives on the summit and what needs to happen.
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