Climate change adaptation and gender equality: a case study of communication by environmental organisations in South Africa

Abstract

This dissertation investigates the different forms of climate change communication methods and materials used by three South African environmental organisations- GenderCC Southern Africa Women for Climate Justice, Project 90 by 2030 and Fossil Free South Africa. Specifically, the dissertation explores whether these environmental organisations consider the impact of climate change on women when representing women in their visual communication material. Considering this, this dissertation aims to answer the following research question: how do environmental organisations in South Africa contribute to climate justice or injustice through the representation of women and nature in their communication material?

Data gathered for this dissertation was obtained through semi-structured interviews with two employees per organisation. In addition, visual communication material that was produced by the organisations and made available in the public domain was sourced, mainly via their Instagram pages. Secondary data was also used, in the form of reports and academic sources.

The primary finding of this dissertation is that the three selected environmental organisations are grounded in the reality that climate injustices and social injustices, of which gender inequality is one, intersect. Intersectionality and context-specific approaches to the climate crisis ground their communication methods and communication materials. This grounding approach informs specifically the development of communication materials with the purpose to either create awareness about the climate crisis, protest environmental harmful practices and to encourage public and private climate change action.