MAN - ENVIRONMENT REALATION :

In the early 1960s, an interest in Men

and their connection with the Environment
was sparked, largely by a book written by
Esther Bose up entitled Man's Role in
Economic Development. Starting in the 1980s,
policy makers and governments became more
mindful of the connection between the
Environment and gender issues. Changes
began to be made regarding natural resource
and Environmental management with the
specific role of Men in mind. According to the
World
Bank in 1991, " Man play an essential role in the
management of natural resources, including soil,
water, forests and energy...and often have a profound
traditional and contemporary knowledge of the
natural world around them ". Whereas men were
previously neglected or ignored, there was increasing
attention paid to the impact of Men on the natural
Environment and, in return, the effects the
Environment has on the health and well-being of
Men. The gender-Environment relations have
valuable ramifications in regard to the understanding
of nature between Men and MEN, the management
and distribution of resources and responsibilities and
the day-to-day life and well being of people.

 Men, Environment and

Development debate :

Men's connection with the Environment

Different discourses have shaped the way that

sustainable development is approached, and as time
goes on Men have become more integrated in shaping
those ideas. The definition of sustainable
development is highly debated itself, but is defined by
high court as a way to "establish equity between
generations" and to take into account "social,
economic, and Environmental needs to conserve non-
renewable resources" and decrease the amount of
waste produced by industrialization. The first
discourse that emerged in relation to Men was Men
in Development (MID), the perspective that
advocated for men's status to be improved in
developing countries that which then transformed
into Men, Environment, and Development (MED).
Critiques for (WID) included its place in a larger
western mindset, perpetuating a colonial and liberal
discourse that was not compatible with supporting
the global population of Men. MID placed Men as
central
actors in household, rural and market economies and
looked to the hierarchical institution of western
development to fix the issues that arise because of
this. The next shift in discourse took place in the
early 1970s, where people began to critique the roots
of development and start to look at alternative ways
to go about interacting with the global community
and developing countries, with men and the
Environment as central actors. This was defined as
MEN, Environment, Development (MED).
According to Schultz et al., " The MEN,
Environment and development debate (MED-debate)
is anchored in a critical view of development policies
where the link between modernization and
technology on the one hand and environ Mental
deterioration on the other is focused ". MED
discourse is centralized around the synthesis of
different ideologies, one of which being Ecofenism.
Ecofenism may be seen as a root ideology for MED,
whereas MEN are viewed with a biological
connection to nature that enables them to have a
deeper connection and stewardship of it. This
ideology was transformed into the political sphere.
where it took a new shape as men having a socially
constructed connection to nature through our global
systems. Programs started in the 1990s based on
the (MED) is course and were instituted by the
United Nations International Research Training
Institute for the Advancement of Men (INSTRAW).
These programs were in response to the
relation between gender and environmental violences
such as waste disposal, pesticide use nuclear testing
and other detrimental Environmental practices. The
outcome of many of these programs did not produce
the desired impacts on men. The (MED) discourse
placed emphasis on men as solution holders to
Environmental issues but policies were not directed
at empowering men, rather the sectors that men are
involved in, such as agriculture. Leach
argues that the overall impact of politicizing the role
of Men and the Environment through the (MED)
discourse appropriated men's labor without providing
proper resources or capacity to succeed.