Empowering boys to take climate action

Joseph Henderson, a University of Vermont lecturer, has noticed a pattern in his classrooms: young women tend to engage more with climate issues than young men. This observation has led him to research how political, cultural, and geographic factors shape boys’ and young men’s involvement in environmental action. His work, funded by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, explores ways to draw more males into climate education and activism.

Henderson’s focus stems from years teaching climate change and environmental education. He’s seen a growing gender gap in student engagement, with women more likely to support climate policies and take pro-environmental actions. While some men do participate, many avoid the topic entirely. Others, he notes, engage from a place of political extremism, linking climate issues to far-right ideologies. “This is a problem,” he says, citing how far-right groups in Europe and North America weaponize climate denialism to fuel anti-democratic agendas.

Existing research highlights a disparity in environmental engagement between genders. Studies in environmental sociology and political science show girls and young women are more likely to express concern for nature, support climate policies, and adopt eco-friendly behaviors. Conservative white men, however, are disproportionately likely to reject climate science. One theory suggests this stems from a concept called “threatened masculinity,” where traditional notions of manhood clash with environmental stewardship. In wealthier nations, men may feel their social and economic benefits are tied to systems that contradict ecological responsibility.

Cara Daggett, a political scientist, has written about “petro-masculinity”—a link between fossil fuel industries and cultural norms that equate dominance over nature with masculinity. Examples include men mocking electric vehicles or leaders using military force to secure oil. Henderson shares a student’s comment that driving an electric car would be “gay,” reflecting how automobile culture can be tied to gender insecurity. These are extreme cases, he notes, but they highlight how societal norms can deter men from environmentalism.

What can schools do to bridge this gap? Henderson points to Nordic countries, where nature-based education is common in schools. In the U.S., environmental education is underfunded and overlooked. His team is studying how educational strategies in the U.S. and Scandinavia might engage boys differently. “We need better ways to connect young men with environmental work,” he says. Specific solutions remain under investigation, but the goal is clear: find methods that resonate with male students without forcing them into traditional eco-activist roles.

The research also raises questions about how masculinity is taught. If caring for the planet is seen as feminine, how can schools reshape that narrative? Henderson cites Pope Francis’s Laudato si’ encyclical, which calls for education that treats Earth as “our common home.” Yet in the U.S., such approaches are rare. The challenge, he says, is to create curricula that respect diverse identities while making climate action feel accessible to all students.