In a report released by the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), the long-term effect of weather related changes caused by climate change has the potential to greatly impact employment.  The impacts on employment, reported by UNEP, are likely to arise “from extreme weather events such as droughts, cyclones and/or floods.  They will also arise from slower processes such as sea level rise.”  Major weather events, caused by climate change, carry with them the potential to cause damage and disrupt transportation lines and industrial infrastructure impact not only workers ability to be present at work, but also lead to the closing down of industrial institutions that find themselves in the path of the major weather disasters.  In addition, UNEP reports that climate change could cause health problems due to issues of increasing water and food related diseases and because of malnutrition caused by possible disruptions of food supplies. 

ILRF is proud to see the incredible effort taken on by the Blue Green Alliance and other organizations that are working to build alliances between labor and the environment recognizing that in these times we can’t have separate approaches.  ILRF’s Stop Firestone campaign has even grappled with labor and environmental issues together because of the interconnectedness that often occurs on plantations since workers harvest the field and have communities very close to the plantation.  The Stop Firestone campaign has taught ILRF quite a bit about how important it is to talk about pesticides and child labor for instance since both have incredibly negative impact on workers and communities.  The Fairness in Flowers campaign has also recognized the linkages between women workers and environmental destruction first as a worker that has to spray the chemicals but also as someone that doesn’t want to see the land destroyed in the name of corporate greed. 

In a report released by the International Trade Union Confederation (http://www.ituc-csi.org/) (ITUC), the argument is clearly presented that the global trade union movement has a duty to help connect the concept of social justice with ways to reduce the impact of climate change.  These two concepts are directly linked because the economic policies that have been driven exclusively by growth and profits have not only caused degradation to the lives of workers, but also to the environment.  At the union level, the report by the ITUC hopes to push unions to better educate their members about the consequences of climate change and to use their political power to work with government leaders on a solution. 

One of the interesting ideas that came out of the report include the use of collective bargaining agreements to improve environmental measures.  The report states: “Education unions are beginning to engage in collective bargaining for measures to reduce the carbon footprint of their schools, colleges and universities.”  In addition, the report focuses its attention on creating environmentally sustainable jobs in what is being called the “green economy.”  If climate change is going to be combated, workers are critical. 

The production and implementation of new green technologies, such as wind power, requires steel, advanced materials, chemicals, and an advance power grid; along with highly trained workers to implement and build these new green technologies.  Currently there are millions of highly trained workers, that are working in many industries that are heavy carbon emitters, who have the skills and talents to be apart of this new green economy.  What is needed are programs that provide a just transition towards a green economy that not only for high skilled workers, but also one that creates opportunities for workers of all levels. 

Ultimately, the workers, and unions that represent them, must be engaged in the fight against climate change because of the potential it has to impact their livelihoods.  It is also important, because a shift in the global economy, whether green or not, needs the voice of labor to ensure that the shift respects the rights of workers all around the world and creates equitable opportunities.  Anita Normark, chair of the Council of Global Unions and general secretary of Building and Wood Workers International, put it best when she said: “The fight to reverse climate change must be fought in communities and in workplaces. Strong action by political leaders at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen is essential to set the direction, but it is not sufficient to achieve climate change goals: to respond to this challenge, we must deepen solidarity and participation by creating sustainable jobs and bolstering democracy.”  

The conference in Copenhagen is a major step toward a change in the way the globe operates.  The international Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) fully supports a push by governments to lessen the consequences of climate change, but what is essential is understanding how any solution effects workers and not just government carbon reduction rates.  This is why it is essential for the rights of workers and the way in which climate change impacts their lives has an important spot on the Copenhagen agenda.  If workers are left off the agenda any positive steps following the conference may be fruitless.