Drilling into "petro-masculinity": A media analysis of the community messaging produced within the extractive industry of Alberta, Canada

In March of 2020, an illustrated image depicting the rape of young Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg exploded into the public sphere. To better understand the petro-culture that this image was created within, a thematic analysis of the public “Alberta Pipeliners” Facebook group was conducted for two weeks around the same time the “Greta” rape image was publicized. The themes that were constructed from the Alberta Pipeliners Facebook group were (1) Occupational Identity, (2) Enemy, (3) Regional Loyalty, and (4) Social Dominance Orientation. Petro-masculinity, a concept that attributes climate violence as a reaction to avoid climate and gender anxiety, was a weaving force and connected these dominant themes to one another through identity, ideology, and a need for control. These themes were then used to contextualize the “Greta” rape image produced by the organization X-Site Energy Services with the aim to understand the conditions for the image’s creation and in-group normalization. To further understand the meaning of the image, a semiotic method of analysis was used to break down each symbol within the image using an ecofeminist theoretical framework, establishing that gender and climate anxieties are interwoven and that the image is a reactionary result to diminishing masculine hegemonic power over both women and nature. Lastly, the implications of my thesis suggest that there are tangible consequences that arise from this culture: higher rates of gendered interpersonal violence, anti-Native racism, climate denial ideation, and a vulnerability for falling into unfounded politically-motivated conspiracy

Net Zero Stocktake 2023

The underlying dataset for the Net Zero Tracker's Net Zero Stocktake Report 2023