Why Are We Letting The Masculinism Movement Suppress A Clean Climate For Us All?

---

Support CleanTechnica's work through a Substack subscription or on Stripe.

---

Terry Gross is the host of “Fresh Air” on NPR. As I was running errands the other day, I listened to her interview with Helen Lewis, who writes about masculinism in a recent Atlantic article titled, “The Men Who Want Women to be Quiet.” It was really eye-opening.

Lewis explains that masculinism is the idea “that men should be in charge.” It represents a reordering of society in which men’s biology and associated hormones “mean that they’re more suited for government.” Just another word for patriarchy, you say? Not exactly. Rather, it is a political ideology that is the “intellectual  underpinning”of the MAGA movement and the subsequent series of policy proposals that flow from it.

Lewis may be onto something. It makes logical sense that masculinism drives various Trump 2.0 era policies that have stymied the transition to renewables.

More than 4,500 men gathered in central Washington over Father’s Day weekend for what the New York Times described as “a testosterone-fueled celebration of Christianity and patriotism that culminated in a statement calling conservative Christian men ‘to rise as statesmen.’” It was a celebration of masculinism, a movement that Lewis describes as increasingly mainstream. It openly promotes the position that men and women aren’t equal — they’re suited for different things.

According to this thinking, men should dominate the government as politicians, the business world as CEOs, the military in combat roles. Meanwhile, women should attend to nurturing and to supporting their men. In other words, 51% of the population should stick to the kitchen and bedroom.

As economist Paul Krugman noted in his newsletter, destroying faith in science and experts leaves people open to the idea that they should reject “the establishment.” Then what follows is authority conferred to political appointees who espouse masculinist points of view.

“Clearly, something has gone wrong for prime working-age American men. And the demoralization caused by the decline in economic opportunity fuels political radicalization.”

US culture and politics are now invested in petromasculine identities and ideals. Oil and gas wealth thrives in overwhelmingly male-dominated industries, corporations, and states where males are the perceived victims who need to be understood as they promote values of demographic violence. Powerful men at these intersections don’t want to relinquish their place at the top of the refuse hill.

Masculinism is a force uniting the US right, Lewis describes, bringing together “an unlikely constellation of pastors, senators, preachers, influencers, podcasters, and fanboys.”

Much More than a Natural Woman

Lewis relates how many companies over the last ten years took a hard look at their diversity statistics and “kind of vomited at how bad they were.” That realization led to what may be soon seen as “unconstitutional hiring binges” in attempts to try to enhance those statistics. “That’s an advance for equal rights,” Lesie notes, but it has also been “tough on the individual men that that has affected.”

Where do women figure in this fossil fuels vs. renewables equation? Adherents of masculinism believe that feminism emasculates men. In fact, women in general possess empathy, which Lewis describes as “the masculinists’ most hated emotion.”

Lewis argues that “both the political left and political right have a problem with female authority.” It’s to the point, she continues, that “we’ve lost the idea of kind of dignity in public office and public life, and it’s now really about who can own the other person harder.”

Then again, the United Nations recently asked women to rise up — a part of a movement for clean energy. Lisa Kurbiel, head of the joint SDG fund Secretariat, argued that, “If we want the clean energy transition to be truly transformative, women must be at the forefront.”

Kurbiel explains that, at its core, the clean energy transition is about more than technology. It is “also about people: who designs these systems, who leads the investments behind them, and who benefits from the opportunities they create.” One UN priority is to help de-risk investments in renewable energy.

Strategic investment can be made by women and for women to accelerate the shift toward sustainable energy. That’s important, she emphasizes, as “over the coming decades, trillions of dollars will flow into renewable infrastructure, technologies, and markets.”

Of course, Kurbiel is not blind to the need to empower women. “As we shape this new energy future,” she states, “we have an opportunity and a responsibility to ensure women are not simply participants in this transformation but leaders of it. Because when women lead, the transition becomes not only greener, but more inclusive, more innovative, and more sustainable for everyone.”

Clean Energy isn’t the Goal

The Trump 2.0 administration has made it a mandate to stymie as many domestic renewable energy projects as possible. Trump has put pressure on energy companies to rethink the clean energy policies they embraced during former President Joe Biden’s tenure. Many US state governments, tied to pledges to move to net zero economies, now find themselves in a bind to achieve their emissions goals.

Analysts who treat oil like other commodities generally assume that shocks to the market like the US/ Israel war on Iran resembles past disruptions. It does not. Oil is not a store of value, cannot be held in warehouses like metals, and must continuously through a complex system of transport and refining to create value. It depends on end-use consumption.

Alex Klass, an environmental law professor at the University of Michigan, described the Trump administration’s talk about energy dominance and the need for new energy as contradictory to typical capitalist theory. “Before there was always an argument,” she said, that “you shouldn’t try to prop up an industry that can’t make it on its own. That’s basically what they’re doing.”

Shortly after the war on Iran began, David Wallace-Wells, who has written extensively on climate change and the politics of energy, wrote an opinion piece for the New York Times in which he said the conflict is a harbinger of something bigger — a recognition by all concerned that fossil fuels are the past, while renewables are the future. He described what is happening in Iran as “a new age of resource conflict arising just as the old energy order was being upended but before the new one has really taken hold.”

Wallace-Wells said that the Iran War is a “mid-transition war, one that spans the old paradigm of fossil energy and the new paradigm of renewable energy.” Then again, despite the obstacles put in place by the war and other Trump administration debacles, renewables are making progress to lower energy bills and deliver reliable, clean energy.

Seriously? Soy-Boy?

Researchers warn that eating meat isn’t just a dietary preference; it is wrapped up with gender. Manifestations of masculinity continue to dominate the male body and are often symbolized by the consumption of meat. Consuming meat for males is a symbol of virility — to the point where men’s masculinity maintenance may be one factor contributing to gender differences in meat consumption and health disparities related to overconsumption of meat.

Meat and dairy consumption has become an issue of planetary urgency. “We must change our diet. The planet can’t support billions of meat-eaters,” said David Attenborough in his 2020 biographical documentary, A Life on Our Planet. Yet that transition away from flesh-eating and toward plant-based diets is fraught with fear and cultural constructions that box us in, especially for guys who go vegan.

“I see masculinism as quite an anxious ideology” because it’s about control, Lewis says in the Atlantic article. “It’s about needing to kind of keep a grip on your emotions. You never cry. You know, you don’t eat soup ’cause that’s gay.” Lewis explains that, according to the masculinism mindset, “If you cut him, he doesn’t bleed, he just drips soy. And that’s a very deep cut, but there is essentially the feeling that plant phytoestrogens in soy are also feminizing men. It’s one of the many things in modern life that is feminizing men… Real men eat meat and are not vegans.”

Solutions to Help Men Live Healthy Lives

We can take steps to help the men in our lives to raise awareness about the health challenges they face and encouraging them to take proactive steps towards a healthier lifestyle. Here are some steps toward those goals.

Many men use alcohol to unwind and relax, yet alcohol can increase impulsiveness, anxiety, and anger. Finding other ways to limit anxiety is better for overall health and even financial well-being. The immediate effects of cutting down on alcohol include feeling better in the mornings, having more energy throughout the day, better skin condition, and easier weight management.

A healthy diet is really good for mental health. While it is not the diet many Western men were taught as youngsters, the Planetary Health Diet can reduce stress. The PHD is rich in plants: whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes. Only moderate or small amounts of fish, dairy, and meat are recommended. In fact, widespread adoption of the diet would require a two-thirds increase in fruit, vegetable, and nut production and allow for a one-third reduction in livestock meat production, compared to 2020 levels. Added sugars, refined grains, and unhealthy fats are minimized in favor of healthier fats from sources like avocados.

Socializing is an underused strategy to dissipate stress. Men have family members, close friends, or mentors to whom . Whatever is causing your anxiety, it’s important to talk about it with someone – bottling things up simply does not work. Sometimes just talking about things releases some of the pent-up stress that’s underlying anxiety.

Box breathing, attributed to US Navy Seals, is a great way for men to lower their heart rates. It offers a moment to collect thoughts. Slow abdominal breathing, or deep breathing, activates the part of the nervous system that shuts down the fight-or-flight response. All it takes is a series of 4 second deep breathing segments: breathe deeply into the stomach and chest for 4 seconds, hold for 4 seconds, breathe out for 4 seconds, and hold for 4 seconds.

Practicing mindfulness or meditation for 10 minutes a day can benefit everyone’s mental health, yet men are less likely to adopt such a strategy. When feeling anxious, breathing exercises are a quick and easy grounding technique. They can be practiced nearly anywhere and are helpful for calming physical tension caused by anxiety.

In closing, the “Fresh Air” interview was much more extensive than this analysis can explain. Do read it in its entirety.

References

“Exploiting male rage: Men’s problems are real. MAGA’s solutions are fake.” Paul Krugman. September 18, 2025.

“Understanding ‘masculinism,’ a movement to restore the primacy of men.” Terry Gross. Fresh Air. June 24, 2026.

“Where testosterone and the Bible are the ‘new punk rock.’” Ruth Graham. New York Times. June 25, 2026.