Mumbai, June 16 (IANS) Actress and environmental advocate Dia Mirza has responded to online trolling and criticism over her recent remarks linking men and patriarchal systems to climate change.

The controversy erupted after Mirza stated that it is the men who have driven climate change, and they are totally responsible for the chaos. Now, the ‘Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein’ actress has clarified that her remarks were aimed at highlighting the role of patriarchal power structures in driving environmental degradation, and not at blaming individual men.

Responding to the backlash, Dia wrote on her Instagram, “Since so many of you are debating this, it is timely to explain as simply as one can. I stand by my statement “Patriarchy caused the climate crises. Climate change is often spoken about as an environmental crisis. But it is also a crisis of inequality. For centuries, patriarchal systems have concentrated power, prioritised extraction over care, and treated both nature and vulnerable communities as resources to be exploited rather than protected.”

“Much like women and girls are treated in Patriarchal Societies. Forests, rivers, oceans, and ecosystems have been viewed as commodities. Just as women often are. The consequences of this thinking are now impossible to ignore,” added Dia Mirza.

Her post further read, “In this episode of “All About Her”, Arati @aratikumarrao and I even explained how this very extractive, uncaring, and dominating system, entirely controlled by men, has led to economic structures that contribute to Climate Change. It is the very systems of extractive dominance that are also working overtime on discrediting voices that speak up for nature protection and women’s rights.”

“Women and girls, particularly in vulnerable communities, are often the first to experience the impacts of climate change — through water scarcity, food insecurity, displacement, and loss of livelihoods. Yet they remain underrepresented in almost all of the spaces where environmental decisions are made. When we talk about climate action, we must also talk about justice. We must question the systems that reward endless extraction and consumption while undervaluing care, cooperation, and stewardship. The climate crisis is not only about carbon. It is about how we choose to relate to each other and to the natural world. Building a sustainable future requires us to move away from systems of domination and towards systems rooted in equity, compassion, and respect for all life.”

During her appearance on Soha Ali Khan's podcast, the ‘Sanju’ actress had stated, “Patriarchy is the cause for climate change. It is the men in this world that have……Yeah, it's men who have driven climate change and they are entirely and totally responsible for the chaos that has been unleashed on our world today and the misery that people are experiencing everywhere. I mean, not just the global south, but the global north as well now, right?.”

However, her comments did not go down well with a section of society, as she was brutally trolled on social media.

--IANS

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