Women and the Marine Environment in International Law

Abstract

International environmental law-making (IEL) now increasingly highlights the importance of ensuring that women are enabled to play a key role in environmental management and decision-making at all scales, including in relation to the marine environment. This article examines narratives of women in international environmental law, with a focus on the marine environment and human rights intersections. This study reveals that there is a tendency to treat women both as victims in need of saving from ecological devastation, and as saviours whose empowerment will save the world. Recent developments at the intersection of human rights and the environment point clearly to the necessity of embracing an intersectional approach. Beyond this, it is necessary to reflect on what is meant by ‘women’ in international law to answer the question of whether greater inclusion of women in legal processes will make a difference to solving global and local ecological challenges. Ultimately, the article argues that meaningful action will not happen until affluent and powerful men and women learn how to embody the idea of woman themselves, rather than placing the burden to save the world on those whose vulnerability is worsened if not created by affluent overconsumption.