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The present article is concerned with the nexus of masculinities and environment. The authors present their critical analyses of two configurations of masculinities the authors refer to as ‘industrial/breadwinner’ and ‘ecomodern’ masculinities that dominate politics worldwide. The authors stated their opinion on the fact that the first two configurations of masculinities are acutely but distinctly in conflict with the wellbeing of the planet. The paper presents an empirical and theoretical analysis of ‘ecological masculinities’, which considers the insights and limitations of masculinities studies, deep ecology, ecological feminism and feminist care theory. In this article, the authors focus their attention on the necessity of ecologisation of masculinities as well as on the need for men and masculinities to ‘ecologise’ relationally and create more caring encounters with self and others. In support of the need in a transition from hegemonisation to ecologisation, necessary configurations beyond the constraints of industrial/breadwinner and ecomodern masculinities are presented. The authors also argue that the potential to expose and resolve the anthropocentric discord between Earth, others and human beings is possible within the very constructs of manhood. The notion of ecological masculinities suggested in the article is a constructive response to the roles of men and masculine identities in the Anthropocene. The exit politics central to the notion of ecological masculinities represent a theoretical framework and plurality of practices reflective of a masculine ecologisation process. The authors encourage scholarly masculinities inquiries and practices towards broader, deeper and wider care for the ‘glocal’ (global and local) commons.

This chapter is set in the context of European Union (EU) policy to reduce environment carbon emissions through the European Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), which – despite EU equality objectives – remains gender-blind and in accordance with ecological modernisation, technology-driven, and oriented to innovation. Difficulties in implementing the EPBD relate to vocational education and training (VET) and the labour process requirements for nearly zero energy building (NZEB). The reasons for the failure of VET and labour market policies and practices to improve the participation of women and what is needed to overcome barriers to their inclusion are highlighted. Combined, the requirements for the inclusion of women and a sustainable construction process, provide the pillars on which a transformed industry can be constructed. In examining local and organisational examples of where women have been successfully included and/or NZEB has been achieved, the ingredients are identified for developing an eco-equitable and socially useful construction sector and the coalition of actors involved – above all the public authorities, VET institutions, unions, women in construction, and environmental organisations.

Noting that we have arrived at a crucial juncture for both planet and people, Pule “warms the seats” for a “dinner party” conversation on ecological masculinities. As an Australian scholar and activist living and working in Sweden, he discusses the traumatising effects of his home country’s “Black Summer” as he witnessed that event from afar. These musings are joined by reflections on the Californian and Amazonian fires, coupled with the, at times, puzzling responses to the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic, which suspended life as we knew it; all in the year that was 2020. These seemingly unrelated and monumental events are tell-tale signs of the precariousness of this moment in global history. Pule introduces the notion that the impacts of these events on life as we knew it are visceral reminders of our current challenges, which have been forged by the inequities of masculine hegemonisation, which is taken throughout this conversation to be a root cause of our global social and environmental problems. They also indicate that broad-sweeping change is afoot, whether we like it or not. It is argued here that ecological masculinities offer us an opportunity to point humanity (men and masculinities in particular) in the direction of broader, deeper, and wider care for the benefit of all life.

Challenged on multiple fronts, humanity and Earth are caught in a tangle. The chapter that follows is an introduction to the next steps in the unfolding international conversation on ecological masculinities. Here, Pule, Hultman, and Wagstrom discuss the gendered origins of social inequities and the imminent threats of ecological collapse. Building on Hultman and Pule’s monograph, Ecological Masculinities (2018), this contribution “sets a table” in preparation for a discussion over a “meal” that nourishes our understandings of men, masculinities, and Earth. The contribution is divided into three key sections. Firstly, we offer an honouring of early and ecologically concerned feminists. These scholars and activists have been forewarning us of our calamitous social and ecological course for more than a century; their concerns guide the conceptual foundations of ecological masculinities. Influences from environmental historians, ecocritics, queer theorists, and profeminist sociologists are similarly credited for having helped shape the discussions ahead. Secondly, the contribution proceeds to a cautionary tale, noting the essentialist pitfalls of men’s mythopoesis and the individualised aggrandisement of libertarians as two phenomena that have glutted the men’s space, particularly in the Global North, deadening many from acknowledging humanity’s precipitous standing and obscuring our species authentic engagements with the broader, deeper, and wider care that is urgently needed to pull away from disaster. Thirdly, we introduce the six discussions that make up this anthology, along with a synopsis of each of the various contributions provided by this growing community of practice. These contributions are the equivalent of “dishes” that each contributor as a “dinner guest” has brought to share; each of them clustered into one of six discussions focused on various aspects of the evolving conversation on ecological masculinities.

Crafted as “dessert,” this chapter summarises the “dinner party” conversation that has served as a response to the social and ecological problems of our times, with a particular focus on men, masculinities, and Earth. Here, we note the importance of a collaborative approach to developments in this academic field and its pluralised praxes. We revisit the three principle motivators for hosting this conversation; firstly, to expand the bounds of collaborations on masculinities and environmental issues; secondly, to provide a constructive response to recent historical developments on both social and environmental fronts; thirdly, to summarise the collaborative and complementary perspectives (and their accompanying knowledges) that can be considered the latest developments in ecological masculinities. We also suggest six paths forwards for future research and praxes noting the importance of: tackling alarming contemporary global trends frontally; addressing these problems personally, politically, and glocally; recognising intersectional analyses that stretch our view beyond Global Northern constructs; ensuring that those who are traditionally marginalised are heard, take leadership, are backed to do so, and are welcomed to hold the ecological masculinities discourse accountable, giving particular attention to queer ecologies; encouraging fresh research on masculine ecologisation; supporting Earth Rights. These six forward-facing themes represent areas of current and future development in ecological masculinities that are (at the time of this writing) the most influential in shaping the growth and development of this conversation.

Modern Western men and masculinities are shaped by socialised performances that are conditioned rather than predetermined. This chapter considers the lives of those men who occupy the most privileged positions in society in the Global North and the masculine socialisations that define them. The correlations despite class disparities are blaringly evident; they share in common an addictive allegiance to the hegemonic allegiances of hyper-masculinities or the hierarchicalisation of wealth distribution generated by natural resource exploitation. The chapter focuses on a critical analysis of industrial/breadwinner masculinities, reflective of the typology’s most acute intersections with white male effect and its compounding impacts of climate change denial. In the modern context, the beneficiaries of extractive dependent industrialisation are not only the owners of the means of production, but also include fossil fuel and mining executives, financial managers and bankers, corporate middle and senior level managers and administrators–the vast majority of direct beneficiaries being Western, white and male.

Modern Western men and masculinities are shaped by socialised performances that are conditioned rather than predetermined. This chapter considers the lives of those men who occupy the most privileged positions in society in the Global North and the masculine socialisations that define them. The correlations despite class disparities are blaringly evident; they share in common an addictive allegiance to the hegemonic allegiances of hyper-masculinities or the hierarchicalisation of wealth distribution generated by natural resource exploitation. The chapter focuses on a critical analysis of industrial/breadwinner masculinities, reflective of the typology’s most acute intersections with white male effect and its compounding impacts of climate change denial. In the modern context, the beneficiaries of extractive dependent industrialisation are not only the owners of the means of production, but also include fossil fuel and mining executives, financial managers and bankers, corporate middle and senior level managers and administrators–the vast majority of direct beneficiaries being Western, white and male.