To what extent do women live more sustainably than men, leave a smaller ecological footprint and cause less climate change? This ideas paper studies what we know about gender equality as a prerequisite for sustainable development. The author illustrates how a gender perspective can facilitate more sustainable economic growth and well-being, directed more towards counter acting female time-poverty as compared to material consumption primarily benefiting rich men while also creating more job opportunities within the service sector which can help increase overall human wellbeing. The paper describes how men, primarily through their greater mobility and more extensive travel, account for more carbon dioxide (COB2B) emissions than women, in both rich and poor countries. The study points to how a changed behaviour among men notably rich men who are decision-makers can be crucial in addressing climate change and in enhancing the opportunities of all human beings to enjoy sustainable development. A gender perspective can facilitate more sustainable economic growth and well-being, directed more to-wards counter-acting female time-poverty as compared to material consumption primarily benefiting rich men while also creating more job opportunities within the service sector which can help increase overall human wellbeing. Areas considered within this study include:

welfare perceptions and gender equality
how sustainability is measured: ecological footprints and other indicators
actual and unsustainable consumption: by rich and poor men and women
women’s and men’s mobility, transport needs and CO2 emissions