International Law and Petro-Masculinity

The concept of "petro-masculinity" refers to a psychological and cultural association between fossil fuel extraction and use and the values of historically rooted gender hierarchies, muscular capitalism, and authoritarian government. It involves a fundamental association of extractivism and other forms of environmental destruction with power and masculinity as contrasted to environmental protection which is understood as carrying connotations of femininity and weakness. Petro-masculinity is embedded in law, including in international law. It is a fundamental element of how national identities are formed and expressed in the contemporary global order, and the service and maintenance of petro-masculine ideals is one element driving current breakdowns of the international legal system. Drawing on feminist legal theory and ecofeminist discourse, I argue that expressions of petro-masculinity impact and become embedded in international law through state practice, treaty-making, and development of soft law. Petro-masculine impacts are visible not only in international environmental law, but in other areas of international law with impacts on global climate action, including international economic law. Through this inquiry I also explore ways that international law and international legal structures might evolve beyond petro-masculinity to more meaningfully protect all people and the planet.