Gotelind Alber Consulting

About me

22/08/2023 / Gotelind

Climate and gender justice has been my topic of passion for over 10 years. For me, it is an essential element of the urgently needed socio-ecological transformation. As a natural scientist who thinks beyond the boundaries of her subject, social innovations are at least as important to me as technological innovations.

I have an advanced degree in physics and have worked in research, energy and climate policy, development policy and management before setting up my own business.

My services: Consulting and policy advice, analysis, studies and lectures, capacity development and training, conception of, and collaboration in research projects.

Thematic focal areas: Gender, energy and climate change at international, national and local levels, as well as urban energy and climate policy.

My working languages are German and English. I also understand Spanish and French.

Klima- und Geschlechtergerechtigkeit ist seit über 10 Jahren mein Thema, das ich mit Leidenschaft verfolge. Es ist für mich ein wesentliches Element für die dringend notwendige sozial-ökologische Transformation. Als Naturwissenschaftlerin, die über die Grenzen ihres Fachs hinausdenkt, sind für mich gesellschaftliche mindestens so wichtig wie technologische Innovationen.

Ich bin Diplomphysikerin und habe in Forschung, Energie- und Klimapolitik, Entwicklungspolitik und Management gearbeitet, bevor ich mich selbständig gemacht habe

Mein Angebot: Gutachten, Studien, Analysen und Vorträge, Kapazitätenentwicklung und Training, Konzeption und Mitarbeit in Forschungsprojekten

Themenschwerpunkte: Gender, Energie und Klima auf internationaler, nationaler und lokaler Ebene sowie kommunale Energie- und Klimapolitik.

Meine Arbeitssprachen sind deutsch und englisch, daneben verstehe ich spanisch und französisch.

An International Women’s Day book on women and climate change

14/03/2018 / Gotelind

Contributed to the book “Why women will save the planet”, edited by Friends of the Earth and C40 Cities. Yet, I do not fully agree with the book title, I rather believe that climate policy must be gender responsive, and might save the people while seeking to limit climate change.

Book Cover "Why Women Will Save the Planet"

More information

Another book on gender & climate change

24/07/2017 / Gotelind

Together with Ulrike Röhr and Kate Cahoon, I wrote a chapter in the book “Understanding Climate Change through Gender Relations”, edited by Susan Buckingham and Virginie Le Masson.

For more information, see Routledge

24/03/2017 / Gotelind

Held a training workshop with Aksi! and Solidaritas Perempuan in Makassar, Sulawesi, on gender and urban climate policy.

: Training with Aksi! and Solidaritas Perempuan on Gender and Urban Climate Policy, Makassar

: Fisherwomen’s meeting in Cambaya, Makassar

: Fisherwomen’s meeting in Cambaya, Makassar

: Fisher community’s housing, Cambaya, Makassar

: If no fish is available, fisherwomen dry bananas to sell them

Gender & urban climate policy inside: Two new books out

12/05/2016 / Gotelind

Together with Kate Cahoon, I authored chapters on gender and urban climate policy of two books which are now available:

book cover
“The Routledge Handbook of Urbanization and Global Environmental Change”
For more information, see Routledge.

book cover
“Roots for the Future: The Landscape and Way Forward on Gender and Climate Change”, the new gender and climate change training manual published by IUCN and GGCA.
For more information, see the publication website.

Briefing book on gender & urban climate policy published

30/06/2015 / Gotelind

It’s finally completed and available in print and for download: My briefing book
Book Cover: Gender and Urban Climate Policy. Gender-sensitive policies make a difference
The handbook indicates ways for local governments to integrate the gender dimensions of climate change into the various stages of policy-making, with a focus on low- and middle-income countries. It is not meant to be exhaustive, but rather a starting point which introduces gender concepts and gender dimensions of climate change at urban levels, and offers resources, tools and ideas for action to decision-makers, consultants and practitioners. Moreover, it is to assist women’s groups and community based organisations to get involved in local climate policy and to advocate for a gender-responsive approach.

Download the briefing book Gender and Urban Climate Policy

Building with Bamboo

13/11/2014 / Gotelind

Attended a workshop on bamboo building and design in Bali in the “Green Camp”. Utilising a multitude of various bamboo species, it is possible to build very cheap houses, either for temporary shelter or for more lasting houses for poor people. The Green Camp people have also designed very fancy and even luxury bamboo houses. They look beautiful, but some designs annihilate the ecological advantage of the bamboo by wasting energy. For example there is air conditioning in some of the houses, which definitely doesn’t make sense in an open building.

Anyway, the workshop was big fun, and bamboo is a great material, in particular in the climatic conditions of tropical countries.

: Lots of bamboo varieties available

: Participants of the bamboo workshop

: Teachers demonstrate model making

: Some of the models created during the workshop

: Me and my model

: One of the fancy bamboo structures in theh Green Camp

: Roof a a huge structure

: The simple house we at least started to build

: In Bali, gods like smoking

Building – a male domain?

Unexpectedly, about half of the participants were women, in contrast to the common notion that men are in charge of building. In a number of powerpoint presentations, I found the quote “in a study of 224 cultures across the world, there were 5 in which men did all the cooking, and 36 in which women did all the house-building”. The source dates back to an anthropological study carried out in 1937 (George Peter Murdock “Comparative Data on the Division of Labor by Sex,” Social Forces, 15: 551–553). However, a closer look at the data reveals that the difference is not that large: in 86 of 224 traditional societies, men did all the house building, while for another very similar category of activities, namely erecting and dismantling shelter, women were in charge in a larger number of societies than men. Gender differentials for other activities were much larger, e.g. carrying water (guess who?) or making weapons (guess who?). In conclusion, it can be assumed that building houses is not necessarily a men’s domain. The gender dimension might be more evident in the design of houses which is likely to reflect gender relations and roles, see for instance Girija Shrestha: Gender Relations and Housing: A Cross-community Analysis. Gender Technology and Development March 2000 vol. 4 no. 1 61-86.