she noted that women continue to be the primary caretakers for children and elderly parents, extended family members, and others in the community. And so she believes the eco gender gap stems from those caretakers wanting to protect their loved ones from the harms of climate change

Meanwhile, there’s solid research to show that men — and particularly wealthier White men — are more likely to want to preserve the status quo, Pomona and other researchers noted in that 2017 study. That includes defending an economy that’s still reliant on fossil fuels, with men much more likely to be in power at those corporations and lobbying in their defense

Governments with higher percentages of women in office are significantly more likely to have stricter climate laws in place, according to a 2019 study by Australian researchers. And even after accounting for a wide range of other factors, the study found those stricter climate laws mean residents of countries with more women in office emit less carbon than residents of countries led predominantly by men