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International Journal of Labour Research2010

Vol. 2

Issue 2

Climate change

and labour: ?e need for a "just transition"

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR OFFICE, GENEVA

Photocomposed in Switzerland WEI

Printed in Switzerland

GEN Copyright © International Labour Organization 2010

First published 2010

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International Journal of Labour Research

Geneva, International Labour O?ce, 2010

ISSN 2076-9806

just transition / climate change / internal migration / international migration / poverty / Mexico / sustainable development / green jobs / technological change / the environment / role of ILO / ILO standards / climatic in?uence / environmental impact assessment / developed countries / developing countries / environmental degradation / environmental protection / trade union role / trade union federation / metalworking industry / renewable resources / o?shore installation / petroleum industry / UK / employment creation / renewable resources / Netherlands / workers rights / agricultural worker / microstate / Asia / Paci?c / railway transport / industrial production / location of industry / industrial policy / trade union attitude / Canada / USA

13.06.3

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ILO Cataloguing in Publication Data

119

International

Journal

of Labour

Research

2010

Vol. 2

Issue 2

Contents

121

Preface

Dan Cunniah

125

Building a Just Transition:

?e linkages between climate change and employment

Anabella Rosemberg

163
Workers' rights in climate change policies: ?e case of adaptation programmes in Small Island Developing States

Nazmul Huq and Jean Hugé

187

Climate change, poverty and migration processes

in Chiapas, Mexico

Laura Elena Ruiz Meza

211
Employment opportunities ?om climate change mitigation policies in the Netherlands

Jerry van den Berge

233

BlueGreen Alliance: Building a coalition

for a green future in the United States

David Foster

International

Journal

of Labour

Research

2010

Vol. 2

Issue 2

120
245
?e greening of the o?shore energy sector in the North Sea Miguel Esteban, David Leary, Qi Zhang, Agya Utama and Keiichi Ishihara 269
?e foundations for extending green jobs: ?e case of the rail-based mass transit sector in North America

Jonathan Michael Feldman

293

Supporting a just transition:

?e role of international labour standards

Lene Olsen

121

International

Journal

of Labour

Research

2010

Vol. 2

Issue 2

C limate change is now widely acknowledged as one of the great - if not the greatest - challenges facing humanity in the coming decades. ?rough its impact on average temperature, precipitations and sea levels, it will en- danger the livelihood of hundreds of millions and impose increasing costs on our societies if nothing is done. Indeed, the economic costs of inaction have been estimated at something between 5 and 20 per cent of global GDP by

2050, a colossal burden. And to add insult to injury, it is the people from the

poorest nations of the world, those who have in e?ect contributed the least to the problem that are likely to su?er its worst impacts. Clearly, inaction is not an option. However, the failure in Copenhagen of the last Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC to generate a signi?cant commitment on the part of governments, despite a broad consensus on the threat at hand, illustrates the inherent political di?culty in addressing a threat whose e?ects are not quite immediate (or at least are still rather di?use compared to other problems) and which a?ects people unequally. Indeed, the very policies that have the po- tential to stem the problem (i.e. keep the rise in temperature below 2°C) in- volve an ambitious transition away from a carbon-intensive economy and will themselves impose costs on our societies. It is becoming increasingly clear that the only way to get the sort of com- mitments needed to e?ectively deal with the challenge is to create a global consensus that involves all stakeholders. Such a consensus will only arise if there is a seemingly "just" sharing of the burden in this battle to keep the planet hospitable to human beings. ?is is particularly true when it comes to employment. It goes without saying that climate change and policies to mitigate it will in time have an enormous impact on industries, jobs and workers. Yet, despite the rhetoric about the elusive "social dimension" of sustainable development, one has to admit that until very recently climate change negotiations showed only

Preface

Dan Cunniah

Director,

Bureau for Workers' Activities

International Labour O?ce

International

Journal

of Labour

Research

2010

Vol. 2

Issue 2

122
limited concern about the fate of workers, and that far greater e?orts were di- rected at measuring the environmental rather than the social impacts of cli- mate change. ?is issue of the International Journal of Labour Research is meant as a modest contribution to start to ?ll that gap. In the a?ermath of the last Conference of the Parties in Copenhagen, the Bureau of Workers' Activities joined the International Trade Union Confederation to hold a workshop on Climate Change and Employment in Brussels in March 2010. ?e objectives were manifold: to document the impact of climate change and mitigation policies on employment, to identify policies likely to facilitate the transition to a low-carbon economy, and to examine how trade unions organize around the issue of climate change. ?e papers presented at that event serve as the basis for this issue of the Journal. Contributions to this issue highlight the fact that climate change al- ready has an impact, particularly in the South and in the agricultural sector, exacerbating the problems of poverty and migration. ?ey point to the need for the international community to free up resources to help provide viable alternatives, notably through adaptation programs. Unfortunately, the evi- dence thus far on the adaptation programmes promoted under the aegis of the United Nations seems to suggest that workers' concerns have been absent from the drafting of the programmes, notably in the case of small island States where people are amongst the most vulnerable to the consequences of climate change. But what also emerges from this issue is that trade unions have become quite active around the issue of climate change in recent years. ?ey have been visible as proponents of ambitious reduction targets for greenhouse gases, o?en forging alliances with the environmental movement; they have pushed for a number of initiatives, notably around the issues of renewable energy, the retro?tting of housing or the greening of public transportation. In addition, they have taken the lead in performing the research to assess the job impact and employment potential of moving towards a green economy. Worldwide, trade unions have developed a point of view on the issue that is encapsulated by the concept of "Just Transition", the notion that the transi- tion process to a greener economy has to be inclusive of all stakeholders, and that the unavoidable employment and social costs of the transition have to be shared by all. Because one thing is sure: if the transition to a greener economy generates employment, it will also entail job losses for some. Who will lose out? What support will be provided to workers and communities that are on the losing end? What skills will be needed in the new sectors? How do we ensure that the new jobs are decent jobs? ?ese very questions lead to a couple of inescapable conclusions: social dialogue will have to be at the heart of the process and governments, beyond regulating the emission of green- house gases, will have a key role in promoting the sort of industrial and social policies that will lead to the creation of productive and decent employment.

Preface

123
It can be said that the notion of Just Transition is in line with the long- standing philosophy that has inspired the creation and the history of the International Labour Organization: the idea that social concerns have to be part and parcel of economic decision-making, that the costs of economic transition should be socialized as much as possible, and that the economic management of the economy is best achieved when there is genuine social dialogue between social partners. ?e last contribution to this issue docu-quotesdbs_dbs25.pdfusesText_31

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