Climate Change, Its Consequences On Employment and Trade Union Action. A Training Manual For Workers and Trade Unions. (Sustainlabour, 2012)

CLIMATE CHANGE
its consequences
on employment
and trade union action
A training Manual for Workers and Trade Unions
Cover page: © Roger Braithwaite/Still Pictures
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CLIMATE CHANGE, its consequences on employment and trade union action
CLIMATE CHANGE,
ITS CONSEQUENCES ON EMPLOYMENT
AND TRADE UNION ACTION
A training manual for workers and trade unions
1 CLIMATE CHANGE, its consequences on employment and trade union action
Copyright ©2011, United Nations Environment Programme
This is the second edition of the manual “Climate Change, its Consequences on Employment and Trade Union Action”.
It was printed in its original version in 2008 by the United Nations Environment Programme and The International
Labour Foundation for Sustainable Development (Sustainlabour).
ISBN: 978-92-807-2960-3. UNEP Job Number DRC/1082/NA
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For bibliography purposes this document may be cited as:

UNEP/Sustainlabour, Climate Change, its Consequences on Employment and Trade Union Action: Training manual for
workers and trade unions, 2011
Produced by:
The International Labour Foundation for Sustainable Development (Sustainlabour)
Pedro Teixeira 3, 1ºC - 28020 Madrid, Spain
Website: http://www.sustainlabour.org
And:
United Nations Environment Programme
P. O. Box. 30552 Nairobi, Kenya
For more information on this publication, send an email to civil.society@unep.org
This publication is available for download at http://www.unep.org/civil_society
ii
As part of the joint projects
“Strengthening trade union participation to international

environmental processes”
and
“Toward Green and Decent Jobs: Enhancing Workers and

Trade Unions´Capacity”
Funded by the Government of Spain
iii
iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The preparation of the Training Manual on “Climate Change, its Consequences on Employment and Trade Union
Action” has involved many individuals and organisations. UNEP and Sustainlabour wish to express their gratitude
to authors, contributors and reviewers that have made this possible.
UNEP and Sustainlabour wish to acknowledge, in particular, the contributions from the International Labour Orga-
nization (ILO), and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and its affiliates.
Our particular thanks are extended to the Government of Spain for its support to workers and trade unions, and UNEP.
PRODUCTION TEAM
Lead Authors:
Anabella Rosemberg, Sustainable Development and Environment Policy Officer, International Trade Union Confe-
deration (ITUC); Laura Martín Murillo, Director, Sustainlabour.
Contributors:
Jesús García Jiménez, Technical Coordinator, Social Security for Trade Unions Project, Regional Office for Latin Ame-
rica and the Caribbean, International Labour Organization (ILO); Laura Maffei, Consultant, Sustainlabour; Joaquin
Nieto Sanz, Director of the Office of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in Spain; Peter Poschen, Senior Sus-
tainable Development Specialist, International Labour Organization (ILO); Ana Belén Sánchez, International Labour
Organization (ILO).
Contributors to second edition of guide: Lora Verheecke, Environment & OHS Policy assistant, International Trade
Union Confederation (ITUC); Sophie Dupressoir, European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC);Julianna Angelova,
Project Officer, Sustainlabour.
UNEP Review / Edition Team:

Olivier Deleuze, Chief, Major Groups and Stakeholders Branch, Division of Regional Cooperation (DRC), UNEP; Ema-
nuella Minuchetti, Associate Programme Officer, Energy Branch, Division of Technology, Industry and Economics
(DTIE), UNEP; Fatou Ndoye, Programme Officer, Major Groups and Stakeholders Branch, Division of Regional Coope-
ration (DRC), UNEP; Hortense Palmier, Project Officer, Major Groups and Stakeholders Branch, Division of Regional
Cooperation (DRC), UNEP; Mark Radka, Chief, Energy Branch, Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE),
UNEP
Contributors to second edition of guide: Emanuella Minuchetti, Associate Programme Officer, Energy Branch, Divi-
sion of Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE), UNEP; Fatou Ndoye and Jose de Mesa, Programme Officer, Major
Groups and Stakeholders Branch, Division of Regional Cooperation (DRC), UNEP; Mark Radka, Chief, Energy Branch,
Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE), UNEP; Sophie Bonnard, Climate Change Consultant, UNEP;
Kaveh Zahedi, Climate Change Coordinator, Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE), UNEP.
Translation: Constanza Fernandez Grenno

Design update, layout and graphics: Madeleine García Münzer
v
vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements v
Production Team v
Table of contents vii
Introduction – PENDING/PENDIENTE ix
Background v
1
Module 1: Introduction to Climate Change 1
Unit 1: Climate change and its consequences 0
Unit 2: Mitigating climate change 0
Unit 3: Adaptation 0
Unit 4: Economics of climate change 0
Unit 5: International governance of climate change 0
Module 2: Consequences of climate change on employment 0

Unit 1: Effects of climate change on employment 0
Unit 2: Effects of adaptation on employment 0
Unit 3: Effects of mitigation on employment 0

Module 3: Trade union action on climate change 0
Unit 1: Building a global movement. International experiences 0
Unit 2: Principles for Union Action: A Just Transition 0
Unit 3: Trade union action by sector and in the workplace 0
vii
BACKGROUND
The Training Manual on “Climate Change, its Consequences on Employment and Trade Union Action” is developed
under the framework of the project “Strengthening trade union participation in international environmental
processes”, jointly implemented by the United Nations Environment programme (UNEP), the International Labour
Foundation for Sustainable Development (Sustainlabour), in collaboration with the International Trade Union
Confederation (ITUC), and its affiliates, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the World Health Organization
(WHO) and the Government of Spain.
The overall objective of the project is to improve engagement of workers and trade unions in the development
and implementation of environmental policy, as recommended by the Trade Union Assembly on Labour and the
Environment at its first meeting in January 2006. The main purpose of the training component of the project is to
address a clear gap and lack of knowledge of the environmental issues at stake regionally and globally in the trade
union movement. The training component of the project focuses on two topics:
a. Climate change, and the need for alternative methods of production and just transition;
b. Sound and sustainable management of chemicals, and how to integrate just employment into environmen-
tal policy design.
Manual objective
The purpose of this Manual is to enhance understanding of climate change and related mitigation and adaptation
issues and their consequences on employment.
Workers and Trade Unions are uniquely placed to sensitize workers about the impact of climate change on em-
ployment patterns, to promote and demand that both public and private sectors develop programmes on climate
change mitigation and adaptation, as well as to train workers to contribute and verify that these measures are
adequately implemented.
In this regard, access to information and training are necessary to improve working conditions. The purpose of this Manual
is to provide workers and trade unions with general information and guidance on how to deal with climate change.
Manual format and content

The Manual is designed in modular format and may be used integrally or partially in modules, depending on the
purpose and duration of the training. The content is designed to be applicable at different spatial levels – from the
national, sub-regional, regional, and global level. Modules can be studied not necessarily in a chronological order. It
contains several case studies to illustrate the theoretical aspects of the manual.
The expected length of the training period is three days, however the Manual is designed in such a way that trainers may
add or leave out sections for a specific training session to shorten or lengthen the suggested training.
The Manual targets mainly workers and trade unions, both from developing countries and countries with econo-
mies in transition from Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean. The Manual is elaborated
for women and men, workers, who are in industry, agriculture, government and other public or private sectors, to
enable them carefully consider the potential risks and opportunities of climate change as regards employment, and
take appropriate actions at the local, national or international levels.
The Manual targets experienced or inexperienced workers and trade unions in climate change issues. It attempts
to combine different types and levels of information to suit the needs and interests of all; though, it targets mainly
an inexperienced audience.
viii
The first module provides a broad overview of the causes and consequences of climate change globally. It is a gene-
ral introduction to key concepts such as adaptation and mitigation. It also gives a broad overview of the economics
and the international governance of climate change.
The second module analyses in depth the potential consequences of climate change, and mitigation and adapta-
tion measures on employment.
The last module explores the way trade unions can contribute to climate change action from the international to
the workplace level. The objective is to introduce briefly the main mechanisms in place, but particularly to underline
the importance of civil society’s participation, namely workers and trade unions.
Course evaluation
At the end of the training, an evaluation is requested from the trainees. The evaluation allows trainees to
highlight points that will assist trainers to improve their delivery of the course, and to facilitate the review and
revision of the Manual over time.
ix
x
Introduction
The Training Manual on Climate Change for
Workers and Trade Unions
Trade XXXXXX XXXXXXX
xi
Notes:
ix
MODULE 1
Introduction to Climate Change
1
Introduction to Module 1
This first module seeks to put us in contact with the basic science behind climate change.
If, as we have said, it is one of the fundamental environmental problems that we, as
humanity, are faced with; we need to understand how it works, its causes, its expected
consequences. Over the past years very important advances have been made on the body
of science knowledge on climate change and on the effect of human activities on it. In
the same way, and equally important has been the advancement in terms of making it
understandable for those not versed in climatology, for politicians and governments and
also for the public in general.
This has been a scientific, didactical and sensitizing effort, with an objective to counter-
weight biased information which aimed (and unfortunately continues to aim) to obscure
scientific information in order to delay action measures.
This module aims to clarify the basic information so that we may understand the need
for prompt action. In the module we wish to make it simple for you – the worker, the
trade union representative.
In the study of climate change, as in any other sphere of scientific knowledge, certain-
ties as well as uncertainties exist; part of the knowledge consists of estimations with a
greater or lesser degree of probability. Nonetheless, we have very reliable information
about the cause of climate change, as well as the most probable effects if we do not act.
If we wish to participate in discussions, in decision-making and actions, we must start
here in order to learn these facts.
In addition, if you wish to know more, to go further in depth, you will find a list of references.
This first module comprises five units:
• Unit 1: The modifications that human activity has done to the patterns of natural
climate changes and its consequences.
• Unit 2: The policies that can be implemented to reduce emissions.
• Unit 3: Adaptation issues and the links with development.
• Unit 4: The costs of action and inaction.
• Unit 5: Actions by the international community to combat climate change. The
need for collective action at the international, national, sectoral and community
levels to combat climate change.
2
MODULE
Module objectives
Module aims:
1
n Providing basic information about climate change, its
natural and human causes, and consequences;
n Introducing the concepts of climate change mitigation and
adaptation;
n Providing an estimate of the costs of climate change and of
actions to tackle it;
n Describing international mechanisms that address the
climate change challenge.
Learning outcomes:
n The link between greenhouse gas emissions from human

activities and climate change;
n The existing and medium/long term impacts of climate
change on different regions and sectors, and related costs;
n The different options available to tackle climate change
and related costs.
n The objectives and mechanisms of the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto
Protocol.
3
Unit 1: Climate Change and its

consequences
Is the climate changing? Why?
The climate system is a complex, interactive system consisting of the atmosphere, land surface,
snow and ice, oceans and other bodies of water, and living things1.
‘Climate’ is usually described in terms of the average weather experienced over a long
period, typically 30 years. This includes temperature, wind and rainfall patterns. The Earth’s
climate is not static, and has changed many times in response to a variety of natural causes.
Generally speaking, climate remains stable over long periods of time if the various elements
remain stable. However if one or more of the components is altered, the stability of the whole
system is compromised.
The term ‘climate change’ usually refers to changes that have been observed since the early
1900s2. Over the past century an increase of the Earth’s average surface temperature has
been observed of about +0.76ºC3.
These changes in global climate are likely to be due to a combination of both natural and
human causes:
n Natural causes
The Earth’s climate varies naturally as a result of interactions between the ocean, the atmo-
sphere, snow and ice, land surface and living things, changes in the Earth’s orbit, fluctuations
in energy received from the sun, and volcanic eruptions.
n Human causes (also called anthropogenic)

oday, human activity (combustion of fossil fuels, clearing of forests, agricultural practices,
T
industrial activities, etc) emits greenhouse gases (GHG) such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and
methane (CH4) which have a major influence on the global climate.
Global atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide have
increased markedly over the last decades.
The global increases in carbon dioxide concentration are due primarily to fossil fuel use and
land use change, while those of methane and nitrous oxide are primarily due to agriculture4.
Below we see the concentration of carbon dioxide. Its concentration in the atmosphere is
measured in PPM (parts-per-million)
4
UNIT 1: Climate change and its consequences
Box 1.1. Monthly average carbon dioxide concentration
MODULE
MAUNA LOA OBSERVATORY, HAWAII
MONTHLY AVERAGE CARBON DIOXIDE CONCENTRATION mlo-145
390
385
380
375
370
365
CO2 concentration, (PPM)
360
1
355
350
345
340
335
330
325
320
315
310
1958 60 62 64 66 68 70 72 74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90 92 94 96 98 00 02 04
YEAR 19-may-05
The evolution of the atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide can be viewed

following this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2mZyCblxS4&feature=player_embedded#
5
WHY ARE THEY CALLED GREENHOUSE GASES?

THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT
The greenhouse effect is a natural process by which some of the radiant heat from the Sun
is captured in the lower atmosphere of the Earth, and then part of the Sun’s radiation is
redirected back towards the Earth. As a result, the temperature there is higher than it would
be without this effect5 .
See the image below:

The Sun powers the Earth’s climate. Roughly one-third of the solar energy that reaches the top
of Earth’s atmosphere is reflected directly back to space.The remaining two-thirds are absorbed
by the surface and, to a lesser extent, by the atmosphere. Without the natural greenhouse effect,
the average temperature at the Earth’s surface would be below the freezing point of water. The
Earth’s natural greenhouse effect therefore makes life as we know it possible.
The Greenhouse
Effect
SUN Some of the infrared
radiation passes through
the atmosphere but most is
absorbed and re-emitted in all
directions by greehouse gas
Solar radition powers molecules and clouds. The
the climate system effect of this is to warm the
Earth´s surface and the lower
atmosphere
Some solar radiation is

reflected by the Earth
and the atmosphere
Atmosphere
Earth
Infrared radiation
About half the solar
is emitted from
radiation is absorbed
the Earth´s surface
by the Earth´s surface
and warms it.
The gases that help capture heat are called “greenhouse gases,” and they include water vapour,
carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and a variety of manufactured chemicals.
Human activities, primarily the burning of fossil fuels and clearing of forests, have greatly
intensified the natural greenhouse effect, causing global warming.
6
The Greenhouse Effect

Some
escapes into
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space Some is
reflected back
to Earth Some is SUN
reflected back
into space
Energy
radiating
Greenhouse gases (GHG)
from
from anthropogenic sources Incoming
Earth
solar
radiation
1
Some is
absorbed in
the atmosphere
Some
Industry reaches the
Earth’s surface
Transport
Deforestation
Rise in Greenhouse Gases concentrations Rise in temperatures

Human activity is very likely to explain the rise in temperatures in the second part of
the 20th century. The rate of warming averaged over the last 50 years (0.13°C ± 0.03°C
per decade) is nearly twice that for the last 100 years6. According to NASA, 2005 and
2010 were the warmest years since 1880.7 Of all the warmest years on record, nine have
occurred in the last decade.
How and why concentrations of these gases are rising in

the atmosphere?
The rise in GHG concentrations in the atmosphere is a direct consequence of our productive,
economic and social model, based since the 19th century on an unsustainable use of energy,
85% of which comes from fossil sources (coal, oil and gas).
Almost every sector in which we work, or which provides us with goods or services, emits
greenhouse gases. Industry, transport, electricity generation, heating, some agricultural and
7
forestry practices, as well as industrial and domestic cooling and heating systems, are all
examples of human activities that contribute to GHG emissions.
In the following figure you could find some examples of economic activities and the type of
greenhouse gases they produce.
Box 1.2 Greenhouse gases and their sources
FLUORINATED
CARBON DIOXIDE METHANE NITROUS OXIDE
GASES
agriculture:rice COMBUSTION OF
Fossil fuel
fields and FOSSIL FUELS BY ELECTRICAL
combustion
wetlands AUTOMOBILES AND EQUIPMENT
PLANES
energy intensive ruminants

INDUSTRIES
PRODUCTION
REFRIGERATION
OF NYLON AND
coal mining SYSTEMS
POLYURETHANES
biomass
combustion
biomass
combustion
ALUMINIUM
FERTILIZERS
deforestation PRODUCTION
waste
Each of these gases have a different global-warming potential (GWP). The GWP is a relative
measure of how much heat a greenhouse gas traps in the atmosphere. It compares the amount
of heat trapped by a certain mass of the gas in question in relation to the amount of heat trapped
by a similar mass of carbon dioxide. Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is considered to have a GWP of 1.
A GWP is calculated over a specific time interval, commonly 20, 100 or 500 years. Here you can
find it calculated over 100 years.
The GWP of the rest of the gases is as follows:

Methane (CH4): 25
Nitrous Oxide (N2O): 298
Fluorinated gases which include:
Hydrofluorocarbons HFCs: HFC23:14 800 and HFC134a: 1430
Perfluorocarbons PFCs: Tetrafluoromethane: 6500 and Hexafluoromethane: 9200
Sulphur Hexafluoride SF6: 22 800
As you can see, the other gases, not so widely mentioned, have a bigger warming potential than
the Carbon Dioxide.
8
Box 1.3. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
MODULE
Climate change is a very complex issue: policymakers need an objective source of
information about the causes of climate change, its potential environmental and
socio-economic consequences, and the adaptation and mitigation options to respond
to it. This is why the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC) in 1988.
The IPCC is a scientific body: the information it provides with its reports is based on
scientific evidence and reflects existing viewpoints within the scientific community.
The comprehensiveness of the scientific content is achieved through contributions
from experts in all regions of the world and all relevant disciplines including, where
appropriately documented, industry literature and traditional practices, and a two-
1
stage review process by experts and governments.
Because of its intergovernmental nature (formed by representatives from different
governments), the IPCC is able to provide scientific, technical and socio-economic
information in a policy-relevant, yet politically neutral, way to decision makers. When
governments accept the IPCC reports and approve their Summary for Policymakers,
they acknowledge the legitimacy of their scientific content.
The IPCC delivers its reports at regular intervals. As soon as they are published, these
reports immediately become standard works of reference, widely used by policymakers,
experts and students. The findings of the first IPCC Assessment Report of 1990 played
a decisive role in leading to the establishment of the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which was opened for signature in the Rio
de Janeiro Summit in 1992 and entered into force in 1994. The convention provides the
overall policy framework for addressing the climate change issue. The IPCC Second
Assessment Report of 1995 provided key input for the negotiations of the Kyoto Protocol
in 1997. The Third Assessment Report of 2001 as well as Special and Methodology
Reports provided further information relevant for the development of the UNFCCC and
the Kyoto Protocol. The IPCC continues to be a major source of information for the
negotiations under the UNFCCC. In 2007, after its Fourth Assessment report received
the Nobel Peace Price.
The next assessment report is expected to be presented in 2014.
Source: www.ipcc.ch
Consequences of Climate Change

Each greenhouse gas remains in the atmosphere for a fixed period of time. The so called long-
lived greenhouse gases (LLGHGs) - for example, CO2, methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O)
- are chemically stable and persist in the atmosphere over time scales ranging from a decade to
centuries or longer. Thus, their emissions have a long-term influence on climate.
This means that even if we were to stop emitting these gases today, the Earth’s average surface
temperature would climb another 0.6 degrees or so over the next several decades before
temperatures stopped rising8.
9
Climate varies naturally and the average temperature at the Earth’s surface normally varies
between 5-6°C every 100,000 years. Within these long periods of time, many changes have
been suffered. Mankind however is inducing drastic changes in the climate in a very short
period of time. This means that all species have to adapt to these changes very quickly, which
is not possible in many cases.
Rise in the average temperature of Earth is one of the multiple consequences of climate change.
Sea level rise, melting of glaciers and ice caps, ocean acidification, changes in wind patterns
and a multiplication of extreme weather events are other examples. Fragile and vulnerable
species and ecosystems are already suffering from the consequences of these changes, and will
in the future face the worst impacts. For instance, the largest changes in fauna are predicted
for the tundra, Central America, and the Andes Mountains where certain areas are likely to
experience over 90 per cent species change, so that future faunal assemblages, diversities, and
distributions will bear little resemblance to those of today9.
Human beings will also have to adapt to new climatic conditions. Yet, the indirect
consequences of climate change will possibly be even harder to deal with (changes in
agriculture, water availability, etc).
How will changes in the climate affect the environment?

what has changed so far?
Observations show that warming of the climate is unequivocal.
The 2007 IPCC report concluded that “observational evidence from all continents and most
oceans shows that many natural systems are being affected by regional climate changes,
particularly temperature increases10”.
Climate change is affecting negatively the number and size of glacial lakes, producing
changes in Arctic and Antarctic ecosystems. These include sea-ice biomes and predators high
in the food chain.
Its effects are also visible on hydrology, such as warming of lakes and rivers and on terrestrial
biological systems, such as earlier timing of spring events –leaf unfolding, bird migration, egg-
laying11. Other changes in marine and freshwater systems are also associated with rising temperatures,
such as changes in salinity, oxygen levels, etc. These include changes in algal, plankton and fish
abundance in high-latitude oceans, and changes and earlier migration of fish in rivers.
Human environments and activities are affected by natural environments. The changes such as
those mentioned above will certainly affect mankind. Climate change effects on human beings
and their productive activities are already visible.
What about us?

Human beings will suffer directly from the effects of climate change as the environments in which
they live are altered. Economies and societies have been built in this current climate context, and
it is therefore easily understandable that a dramatic change to the context will produce more harm
than good. Climate change has the potential to affect each one of the social factors of sustainable
10
development: health, employment, incomes and livelihoods, gender, education, housing, food,
poverty12, either directly (changes in climate variables), or indirectly.
For example, more than half of the world’s population now lives within 60 km away from the
sea and, since rising sea levels increase the risk of coastal flooding, many of these populations
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may be displaced or have to migrate in the coming years. Small island states as well as deltas
are hotspots for vulnerability to sea level rise. The IPCC suggests that sea-level rise under
present conditions will directly affect more than 1 million people by 2050 in three mega deltas:
the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta in Bangladesh, the Mekong delta in Vietnam and the Nile delta
in Egypt13. In the Pacific, the populations of Carteret Islands are already being displaced due to
climate change.
Rising temperatures and variable precipitation are likely to decrease the production of food in
subsistence agriculture in many of the poorest regions, increasing risks of malnutrition and hunger.
1
We know also that climate change significantly increased the likelihood of episodes such as the
European summer heat wave of 2003.
Additionally, a greater variability in precipitation patterns is likely to compromise the supply

of freshwater and increase the risk of water-borne diseases.
Changes in climate are also likely to lengthen the transmission seasons of important diseases
such as malaria and dengue (called vector-borne diseases), and to alter their geographic range,
potentially bringing them to regions which lack either population immunity or a strong public
health infrastructure to counteract their spread. The WHO in 2010 calculated that the global
warming that has occurred since the 1970s was causing over 140 000 excess deaths annually
by the year 2004.14
See in the following box some of the expected effects of climate change in the realisation of the
Millennium Development Goals.
11
Box 1.4. Climate change impacts on MDGs (UNDP)
Agricultural production and food security, access to clean and abundant water
resources and gainful employment that underpin the solution to extreme poverty
Eradicate and hunger, are vulnerable to climate change.
extreme poverty
and hunger
Climate change stresses pose additional burdens on agricultural production

and other subsistence activities like water collection, which may burden families
enough to remove children from school. Livelihood activities must become more
resilient to future climate fluctuations for education goals to be met. Climate
Achieve change threatens to destroy infrastructure (e.g. schools) and increase the
universal primary
education displacement and migration of families thus disrupting and limiting access to
education opportunities.
Women, the majority of the world’s poor, are the most vulnerable to climate
change. Their traditional roles as the primary users and managers of natural
resources, primary caregivers, and unpaid laborers mean they are involved in and
Promote gender dependant on resources that are exposed to the highest risk of climate change.
equality and Furthermore women lack rights and access to resources and information vital to
empower women
overcoming the challenges posed by climate change.
Climate change will worsen health primarily through increased vulnerability

to poor health due to reduced food security and water security, water-borne
diseases associated with reduced water quality due to flood and drought; more
favourable conditions for the spread of vector-borne and air-borne diseases, and
Reduce child
mortality due to the direct link between temperatures and heat stress.

diseases associated with reduced water quality due to floods and drought; more
favourable conditions for the spread of vector-borne and air-borne diseases, and
Improve
maternal health due to the direct link between temperatures and heat stress.

diseases associated with reduced water quality due to floods and drought; more
Combat HIV/AIDS, favourable conditions for the spread of vector-borne and air-borne diseases, and
malaria and other
diseases due to the direct link between temperatures and heat stress.
Climate change threatens environmental sustainability because it will cause

fundamental alterations in ecosystem relationships, change the quality and
quantity of available natural resources, & reduce ecosystem productivity. The
Ensure poor depend on these resources for their day-to-day survival and livelihoods in
enviromental
sustainability many parts of the developing world.
12
Which productive sectors are likely to be affected first?

Recent studies have helped us to better understand the consequences of climate change for
different productive sectors. We now know that each productive sphere will be affected, though
in different ways. The consequences for workers will hence vary greatly from one sector to
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another.
The last IPCC report states that the “costs and benefits of climate change for industry,
settlements and society will vary widely by location and scale. In the aggregate, however, net
effects will tend to be more negative the larger the change in climate15”.
All economic sectors will be affected by climate change. However, some sectors will be
impacted in the very short run (or are already affected by early consequences of climate
change). Studies such as the IPCC’s fourth Assessment Report (AR4) affirm that the most
1
vulnerable industries and settlements will be:
n Industries and settlements in coastal and river flood plains. The coastal population
could grow from 1.2 billion people (in 1990) to between 1.8 billion and 5.2 billion people
by the 2080s. Industrializing economies generate a great part of their wealth in capital
cities, most of them based near the coast. The capacity of these workplaces to recover from
extreme weather events is extremely weak, lacking even insurances to re-buy equipment or
improve damaged infrastructure, as for example harbours or core telecommunications.
nI
ndustries and settlements prone to extreme weather events (especially those where
rapid urbanization is occurring). Impoverished regions in developing countries, for
example, are expected to suffer in the early stages of climate change. Economic activities
in slums, most of it informal, will be hardly hit by extreme weather events.
nE
conomies closely linked with climate-sensitive resources (i.e. agriculture, fisheries,
tourism) are also at risk:
Agriculture, for example, will suffer from changes in the availability of fresh water
resources. Run-off is likely to increase in wet tropical areas and decrease further more in
dry regions, many of which are already suffering from water stress. Crop productivity at
lower latitudes is projected to decrease even with small local temperature increases (1°-
2°C) and will also be negatively affected by a greater frequency of droughts and floods.
Fisheries and aquaculture are projected to be adversely affected, as regional changes in the
distribution and production of particular fish species are expected due to continued warming.
Climate change will impact tourism in many ways. Tourism not only contributes to
climate change, it is affected by it as well. Rising sea levels and temperatures will
threaten coastal and island destinations and marine sites. Natural disasters will harm
infrastructure, natural and cultural heritage in host communities. Diminishing snow
conditions will have an impact on mountain and winter sport tourism.
13
Box 1.5. Effects of Climate Change on the environment, human

beings and production
Change in hydrology
Change in Artic & Antartic

ecosystems
Effects
on the enviroment Changes in terrestrial ecosystems
(earlier timing of spring events)
Changes in marine & freshwater systems

(including changes in fish abundance and
migration)
Displacements & migration
Climate change
Freshwater supply
Effects
on human beings Food scarcity
Water-borne diseases
Industries & settlements

in coastal areas
First effects Agriculture

on production
Fisheries
Tourism
Source: IPCC (2007)
All economic sectors will be impacted in the medium to long term. Losses in infrastructure will
affect the whole economic activity. Emerging and developing economies, highly dependant on
raw materials exports will suffer from scarce good crops and the difficulty to transport them
through damaged infrastructure. Consequences for support services companies like financial
services and banks will also be important. This example shows the tight links between climate
change and the complete national and global economy.
What is going to happen in my region?

n In Africa, climate change is likely to increase water stress for 75 to 250 million people by
2020. It will also affect agricultural production, including access to food. The size of areas
suitable for agriculture, the length of growing season and yield potential are expected to
decrease. In some countries, yields from rain-fed agriculture could be reduced by up to 50%
by 2020. Food supply is also going to be affected by decreasing fisheries resources in large
lakes due to rising water temperatures, which may be exacerbated by continued over-fishing.
Mangroves and coral-reefs are projected to be further degraded, with additional consequences
for fisheries and tourism. The cost of adapting to climate change could amount to at least 5-10%
of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
14
Box 1.6. Consequences of Climate Change in Africa
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Reduced Water availability 75 to 250 million people affected by 2020
Reduced areas suitable for

agriculture
Reduced yields for rain-fed

agriculture
Reduced fisheries resources (aggravated

by over fishing) Source: IPCC (2007)
n In Asia, glacier melt in the Himalayas is projected to increase flooding and rock avalanches
1
and to affect water resources within two to three decades. Climate change will also decrease
freshwater availability in large river basins. This, along with population growth and increasing
demand due to higher standards of living, could adversely affect more than a billion people by
2050. Coastal areas, especially heavily-populated mega-delta regions, will be at greatest risk
due to increased flooding from seas and rivers. It is projected that crop yields could increase up
to 20% in East and Southeast Asia while they could decrease up to 30% in Central and South
Asia by the mid-21st century. Endemic morbidity and mortality due to diarrhoea are projected
to rise. Increases in coastal water temperature would exacerbate the abundance and/or toxicity
of cholera in South Asia.
Box 1.7. Consequences of Climate Change in Asia
Reduced Water availability More than a billion people affected by 2050
Increased flooding
Reduced yields for agriculture

in Central & South Asia
Increased yields for agriculture

in East & Southeast Asia
Increased morbidity and mortality

from diarrhoea & cholera
Source: IPCC (2007)
15
n In Latin America, savannah will gradually replace tropical forest in eastern Amazonia
by 2050, as a consequence of increases in temperature and decreases in soil water. Arid-land
vegetation will tend to replace semi-arid vegetation. There is a risk of significant biodiversity
loss in many tropical areas. In drier areas, climate change is expected to lead to salinisation
and desertification of agricultural land. Productivity of some important crops is projected to
decrease and livestock productivity to decline, with adverse consequences on food security. In
temperate zones, soybean yields are projected to increase. Sea level rise is likely to increase
the risk of flooding in low-lying areas. Increases in sea surface temperature are projected to
adversely affect Mesoamerican coral reefs and cause shifts in the location of south-east Pacific
fish stocks. Changes in precipitation patterns and the disappearance of glaciers are going to
affect water availability for human consumption, agriculture and energy generation.
Box 1.8. Consequences of Climate Change in Latin America
Reduced Water availability
Increased flooding
Reduced yields for agriculture
Increased yields for agriculture

in temperate zones
Loss of biodiversity in tropical and semi-arid Source: IPCC (2007)

areas
16
KEY IDEAS OF UNIT 1
MODULE
n The planet is warming due to increased concentrations of
greenhouse gases in our atmosphere.
n Most of the increase in the concentration of these gases
over the last century is due to human activities, especially
the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation.
n Natural causes always play a role in changing the Earth’s
climate, but their effects are now being surpassed by
human induced changes.
n The warming of the planet will cause many other climatic
patterns to change at unprecedented speeds, including
increasing the rise of sea level rates and alterations in the
1
hydrologic cycle. Rising concentrations of carbon dioxide are
also making the oceans more acidic.
n Climate change impacts are already being observed,
including more frequent and extreme weather patterns,
changes in plant growth affecting agriculture and food
production, loss of plant and animal species unable to
adapt to or migrate from changing conditions, changes
in the spread of infectious diseases in terms of the rate
and the expansion of ranges, changes in the flow of ocean
currents, and changes in seasons.
n Climate change has the potential to affect each one of
the social factors of sustainable development: health,
employment, incomes and livelihoods, gender, education,
housing, food, poverty, etc…
n Climate change is threatening industries and settlements in
coastal and river flood plains, industries and settlements prone
to extreme weather events, economies closely linked with
climate-sensitive resources (i.e. agriculture, fisheries, tourism)
17
Unit 2: Mitigating climate change

Mitigation = reducing GHG emissions
GHG emissions caused by human activities are responsible and enhance climate change. If
we want to reduce future impacts of this change, we need to stabilize GHG emissions as soon
as possible. However, today, GHG emissions are still increasing. This unit first examines the
complexity of separating economic growth from GHG emissions and, second, the urgency of
putting in place measures to reduce emissions in order to keep temperature increases within a
safe range. Policies that aim to reduce emissions are called ‘mitigation policies’.
n Economic growth and GHG emissions: an unsustainable duo

From observations going back to 1850 we can conclude that concentrations of greenhouse gases
in the atmosphere have grown alongside trends in economic development. Industrialization, as
has occurred until now, has caused a significant increase of GHG. Most of this increase has
come from energy production and consumption: in 2005 this accounted for 66% of global GHG
emissions. In the case of North America and Europe, energy production is responsible for 70%
of all CO2 emissions since 185016.
n Why is economic growth linked to greenhouse gas emissions?

As we have seen in the first unit, CO2 emissions (the main gas responsible for human-induced
climate change) originate from all kinds of combustion. We also know that the burning of fossil
fuels is the main source of energy in our societies (up to 85%). The availability of energy to
power machines, fuel transport and provide electricity was key in helping economies to grow
and improve their citizens’ livelihood.
Climate change is thus an unintentional and dangerous consequence of economic growth,

increasing energy needs and the combustion of fossil fuels. This link is explored in the 2006
Stern Review on the economics of climate change which explains how increases in the Gross
Domestic Product tend to increase global GHG emissions. Another study on the United States
estimated that, over the long term, a 1% rise in GDP per head leads to a 0.9% increase in
emissions per head17. The table below outlines the income per capita for different countries and
groupings associated with CO2 emissions.
18
Box 1.9. GHG emissions & Income Per Capita in selected countries
and regions (2005)
MODULE
GHG emissions & Income Per Capita in selected countries (2005)
CO2 equivalent per Income Per Capita
Country/Grouping
head (tCO2e) (US $)
USA 23.4 43,031
Japan 10.5 31,669
UK 10.7 34,192
India 1.7 2,600
GHG emissions & Income Per Capita in selected regional
1
groupings (2005)
CO2 equivalent per Income Per Capita
Country/Grouping
head (tCO2e) (US $)
EU (27) 10.3 28,279
OECD 13.8 30,944
Former USSR
11.2 9,950
countries (CIS)
Developing
Countries
3.6 4,243
and Emerging
economies (G-77)
World 5.8 9,449
Source: WRI (2011a)
The tables show that GHG emissions per head are higher in developed countries and much
lower in developing countries, although developing countries are in process of closing this gap.
Currently, developing countries have a faster collective growth and an increasing share of more
energy-intensive industries needed to produce a higher amount of goods.
Following the 2008 economic crisis, there were reductions in global carbon and energy
intensities but in 2010, according to the International Energy Agency, energy-related carbon-
dioxide (CO2) emissions were the highest in history18.
While the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen, some factors have helped to
slow this growth:
n Technological progress;
n Changes in the price of different types of energy;
n Thestructure of production, which has reduced the carbon intensity of energy (the
amount of CO2 released in the atmosphere for each unit of energy used) and the
energy intensity of outputs (the amount of energy used for each unit of product).
19
Box 1.10. Production factors that favour a rise or decrease in CO2

emissions
We burn fossil fuels to Technological progress

CO2
Power machines declines
CO2 rises thanks to
because Rise in fossil fuels price
Fuel transport
Provide electricity Changes in the structure

of production
Source: Sustainlabour (2008)
But this cannot be further from being enough; in order to guarantee decent living conditions
for everyone and to avoid as many climate change impacts as possible - some of which are
already unavoidable and being experienced - we need to reduce GHG emissions. This is what
mitigation seeks: to reduce the extent of climate change by reducing GHG emissions. What are
the options for mitigation policies?
n Mitigation policies
First of all, let’s go back to the sources. As we have seen in the previous chapter, greenhouse gas
emissions come from different sources. What is the distribution of GHG emissions by type of source?
Box 1.11. World GHG emissions in 2005, by sector

Waste
3%
Agriculture Transportation
14% 14%
Total World GHG
Non-energy emissions emissions in 2005:
44,153 Mt CO2
equivalent
Land Use Change
includes both emissions
Land use change and absorptions. These
12% data are subject to
significant uncertainties.
Industrial
processes Electricity and Heat
4% 25%
Fugitive emissions
4%
Industry Other fuel combustion

9% Source: WRI (2011b)
15%
20
The pie-chart above shows that in 2005, 67% of all GHG emissions came from energy-related
sources while non-energy ones represent 33%. While energy-related sources emit mainly CO2,
non-energy emissions are more methane intensive.
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As research has helped us to understand climate change it has also advanced in the
understanding of the actions that can be taken in order the reduce GHG emissions. There is
a wide range of options of policies, actions and measures per sector. In the following chapter
some of them are explained.
What does mitigation mean in each sector? What kind of

policies can help reduce emissions?
Electricity and Heat
Measures taken in the energy supply sector affect industries such as power and heat production
1
and distribution directly. Changes in energy supply also affect other sectors (i.e. energy-
intensive industries).
Some companies will face more or less difficult challenges depending on their primary source
of energy. This highlights the need to clearly assess the potential social impacts of these
measures, i.e. on employment, local development, etc.
Some examples of policies in the sector are:

n Improve energy supply and distribution efficiency (i.e. minimizing losses in
transmission);
n Switching fuels taking into consideration emissions and costs (coal combustion
emits 974 kg of CO2/MWh, gas emits almost half as much as coal: 469 kg of
CO2/MWh);
n Expand renewable heat and power capacities, such as hydropower, solar, wind,
geothermal and bioenergy.
The IPCC experts consider that other technologies, not yet in the market, could also
enhance mitigation in the energy supply sector such as advanced renewable energy
technology, including tidal and waves energy, concentrating solar and solar PV 19 .
Controversies exist on the role that carbon capture and storage20 from biomass and coal-
fired electricity generating facilities and advanced nuclear power technology could play in
reducing GHG emissions in the energy sector.
21
1
22
Box 1.12. Examples of policy measures given, general policy objectives and options to reduce GHG
emissions in the energy-supply sector
Policy options Policy processes

Economic Regulatory
Dissemination of
instruments instruments Technological RD & D and
Policy objectives Voluntary agreements information and strategic
deployment
planning
n Higher energy taxes
n Lower energy n Power plant
subsidies minimum efficient n Voluntary
standards
n Cleaner power
Energy efficiency
n Power plant GHG commitments to n Information and
generation from fossil
taxes n Best available improve power and education campaigns
fuels
n Fiscal incentives technologies efficiency
n Tradable emissions prescriptions
permits
n GHG taxes n Increased power
Energy source
n Power plant n Voluntary generation from
n Tradable emissions n Information and
fuel portfolio commitments to fuel renewable energy
switching permits education campaigns
standards portfolio changes sources
n Fiscal incentives
n Capital grants
n Feed-in tariffs n Targets
n Supportive n Voluntary n Information and n Increased power
n Quota obligation education campaigns
transmission agreements to install generation from
Renewable energy and permit trading
tariffs and renewable energy n Green electricity renewable energy
n GHG taxes transmission capacity validation sources
n Tradable emissions access
permits
n Chemical and biological
n GHG taxes n Emissions n Voluntary sequestration
Carbon capture and restrictions for agreements to
storage n Tradable emissions n Information campaigns n Sequestration in
major sources develop and deploy
permits underground geological
emitters CCS
formations
Source: IPCC (2007)

Governments have chosen different means for achieving these reductions. Some use regulatory
policies (for example, they may choose to buy renewable energy at a higher price than fossil energy),
while others mix regulation with the market (for example, they can define emissions reduction
targets for a group of companies and set a virtual market where companies can sell their excess
MODULE
emissions credits to companies that are not achieving their emissions reduction commitments).
There is also another set of policies aimed at reducing the energy intensity of the economy.
They encourage companies and families to use energy more efficiently and invest in energy
efficiency products that lower energy bills, reduce the need for new electrical generation
capacity and consequently reduce greenhouse gases emissions.
Energy efficiency programmes include:
1
n Public information campaigns;
n Energy audits of industrial and commercial facilities;
n Rebates for energy-saving technologies, among others.
Transport
Transport accounts for 14% of global emissions. Over the past three decades, carbon dioxide
emissions from transport have risen faster than those from all other sectors and are projected
to rise more rapidly in the future. From 1990 to 2004, the carbon dioxide emissions from the
world’ transport sector have risen by 36,5%. For the same period, road transport emissions have
risen by 29% in industrialised countries and 61% in the other countries (mainly developing
countries or countries in transition 21).Policies to reduce GHG emissions in the transport
sector are slowly being adopted and can have additional benefits: reducing local air pollution,
reducing commuting time, etc….
There are three primary ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transport:
n Avoid (i.e., avoid travel or avoid travel by motorised modes);
n Shift (i.e., shift to more environmentally friendly modes); and
n Improve (i.e., improve the energy efficiency of transport modes and vehicle technology)22.

n Encourage shifts from road to rail transport and from private to public
transport systems;
n Promote more fuel efficient vehicles, hybrid vehicles (which use electricity
rather than fuel) and cleaner diesel vehicles;
n Develop second-generation biofuels;
n Encourage non-motorized transport, such as cycling and walking;
n Adapt land-use and transport planning to carbon constraints.
23
Buildings
16.5% of GHG emissions come from buildings. Adapting old buildings and constructing new
climate-friendly ones is at the core of policies trying to reduce this sector’s emissions. Policies
to reduce emissions can have positive environmental and social impacts such as the adaptation
and renovation of social housing that does not only reduce emissions but also create jobs and
reduce energy bills for poorer households.

n More efficient lighting and day lighting;
n More efficient electrical appliances and heating and cooling devices;
n Improved cook stoves;
n Improved insulation;
n Passive and active solar design for heating and cooling;
n Alternative refrigeration fluids, recovery and recycle of fluorinated gases.
Bills and performance rules are typically the most frequent regulations chosen by Governments
to achieve changes in this sector.
Industry
Industry accounts for 14% of GHG emissions. As their emissions can easily be measured in
each installation (unlike in transport or agriculture), a lot of mitigation policies affect this
sector. Policies must distinguish between GHG emissions from energy use in industry and
GHG emissions from industrial processes. Process-related emissions include CO2, nitrous
oxide (N2O), methane (CH4) among others. They can be very important in individual industry
sectors such as cement and aluminium manufacture.

n More efficient end-use electrical equipment;
n Heat and power recovery;
n Material recycling and substitution;
n Control of non-CO2 emissions;
n A wide array of process-specific technologies. (Also insulation, water proofing,
building renovation...)
Governments have started to implement these measures. In some developed countries these have been
accompanied by tighter regulations. Industries however do not appear to be adapting their technology
quickly enough, mainly because of the high investment costs this requires. This anticipates a problem
for emerging economies, many of which are working with old and carbon intensive technologies and
have limited capital investment opportunities due to financial constraints.
24
Agriculture
Agriculture is a major contributor to GHG emissions, accounting for 14% of world GHG
emissions in 2005, but it differs in the type of gases it releases into the atmosphere. Methane
(CH4) is the main gas emitted by this sector. Another difference is the regional distribution
MODULE
of these emissions. While emissions from industry, energy production or transport are still
primarily based in the developed world, emissions from agriculture (and forestry, as we will
see below) mainly originate in the developing world.

n Improve crop and grazing land management to increase soil carbon storage;
n Restore cultivated peaty soils and degraded lands;
n Reduce use of fossil-based fertilizers and pesticides;
1
n Improve rice cultivation techniques, and livestock and manure management;
n Improve energy efficiency;
n Improve crops yields.
Land Use Change

12.2% of emissions come from land use change which includes deforestation and afforestation.
One of the consequences of deforestation is that the carbon originally held in the forests is
released into the atmosphere, either immediately when the trees are burned, or more slowly as
unburned organic matter decays.
Most of the carbon is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (CO2), but small amounts
of methane (CH4) and carbon monoxide (CO) may also be released with decomposition or
burning. Reforestation reverses these trends. When forests grow, they withdraw carbon from
the atmosphere and accumulate it again in trees and soil. Although deforestation itself may not
release significant quantities of methane or nitrous oxide (N2O), these gases are often released
as a consequence of using the cleared land for cattle or other ruminant livestock, paddy rice, or
other crops, especially those fertilized with nitrogen.
Some examples of policies in the sector are

n Afforest (create a forest) and reforest (plant forests where they have been
converted to other use);
n Improve forest management;
n Reduce deforestation;
n Improve harvested wood product management;
n Use forestry products for bioenergy to replace fossil fuel use.
25
Waste
At a global scale, the waste management sector makes a relatively minor contribution to
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, estimated at approximately 3-5% of total anthropogenic
emissions in 2005. Although minor levels of emissions are released through waste treatment
and disposal, the prevention and recovery of wastes (i.e. as secondary materials or energy)
avoids emissions in all other sectors of the economy. A holistic approach to waste management
has positive consequences for GHG emissions from the energy, forestry, agriculture, mining,
transport, and manufacturing sectors23.
Waste management generates greenhouse gases, including CO2, nitrous oxide and methane,
both directly and indirectly (e.g. through energy consumption). Waste incineration generates
CO2 and nitrous oxide while land filling waste generates methane. The best way to reduce
emissions is to prevent waste generation. Priority should be given to waste minimisation,
re-use, recycling, waste-to-energy, and finally landfill. Today, integrated waste management
policies should be enhanced and a life cycle perspective should be adopted in order to ensure
that no environmental burdens are shifted to other life cycle phases, as well as to avoid the
shifting of burdens among different environmental impacts (e.g. carcinogenic substances
produced during incineration, soil pollution, pest and diseases coming from land filling, etc.)
What can be done to reduce these emissions?

n Ecodesign of products and packaging;
n Life cycle assessment of products;
n Reduce, reuse, recycle and recover waste (the four Rs);
n Compost organic waste;
n Control waste water treatment;
n Recover methane from landfills to produce energy;
n Recover energy from waste incineration.
26
Key ideas OF UNIT 2
MODULE
n A mitigation policy is any policy that aims to reduce GHG
emissions.
n Historically, GHG emissions have been linked to economic
growth, through the rise in fossil energy use. The current
pattern of development and industrialization causes an
increase in the greenhouse effect in the atmosphere.
n Emissions per capita are much higher in developed
countries, although currently they are on the rise in the
developing world.
n The good news is that more and more is known about actions
and policies that could be put into practice in each sector that
1
significantly reduce the emission of GHG.
n Technologies and process-related options are available to
reduce GHG from all sectors (energy production and use,
industry, transport, agriculture, land use and forestry, and
waste management).
27
Unit 3: Adaptation
Adaptation = coping with climate change
Adaptation is about “managing the unavoidable” – addressing the impacts of climate change
that are already being experienced by people and ecosystems while mitigation measures
take effect, and building resilience to future impacts24. Mitigation is a requisite for making
adaptation possible and affordable, since the cost of adaptation rises as the magnitude and
speed of climate change increase.
On the one hand, adaptation strategies consist of building the capacity of people to adapt
(understanding impacts, raising awareness to enable genuine decision making, promoting
sound long-term investments). On the other hand, adaptation means taking actions to reduce
vulnerability (investing in infrastructure against climate risks, changing crops, etc.). From a
trade union’s perspective, this means first, understanding the impacts of climate change in a
specific sector, in the workplace and for workers’ families, then, exploring measures that could
reduce these impacts.
Adaptation could, in most cases, provide local benefits. The capacity to adapt however
is related to income and capabilities. While everybody will experience impacts, the most
vulnerable will experience them the most. Poor people often lack the resources and information
needed to anticipate the effects of climate change. Therefore, in order to guarantee fairness and
equity, governments need to undertake adaptation strategies that focus on empowering these
populations, i.e. providing tools (financial resources, information, etc.) that enable them to
adapt to climate change. Some governments in most vulnerable countries have begun to work
on adaptation planning but they are faced with a lack of resources to tackle the huge challenges
posed by climate change dynamics.
Governments have a very important role to play in making adaptation happen,

starting nowadays with the provision of public responses and investments, as
well as policy guidelines, and economic and institutional support to the private
sector and civil society actors.
Some aspects of adaptation, such as major infrastructure decisions, will require
greater foresight and planning at the local level. Others, such as knowledge
sharing and technology development, will be of global benefit.
The various adaptation strategies also differ greatly from one another. Some will concentrate
on the short term, for example, by increasing resilience to extreme weather events. Other
adaptation policies will focus on the medium and long-term evolution of our climate, and seek
to adapt the overall socio-economic model on which each society is based (including shifts in
economic sectors, massive investments in infrastructure and education, etc.).
28
Unit 3: Adaptation
Means of adapting to climate change

Nations differ both in their contribution to climate change and in their vulnerability to its
impacts. Ironically, many of the countries least responsible for the growing accumulation of
greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere, particularly in the developing world, are likely to
MODULE
be among the most heavily impacted by climate change.
There are physical and socio-economical reasons why developing countries and the poorest
people are the most vulnerable.
First, the majority of developing countries are in tropical and sub-tropical regions, areas
predicted to be seriously affected by the impacts of climate change: Africa, Asia, Latin America
and the Small Island States have all been identified as vulnerable regions.
1
Secondly, developing countries are often less able to cope with adverse climate impacts because:
n Poverty exacerbates, and is exacerbated by the impacts of environmental change:

more than 90 per cent of natural disaster related deaths are to be found in developing
countries.
n Livelihoodsare highly dependent on climate-sensitive resources: agriculture in

Sub-Saharan Africa, of which up to 90% is rain-fed, accounts for 70% of regional
employment and 35% of gross national product.
n The poorest inhabitants of developing countries already struggle to cope with

current extreme weather events and climate variability. The greater frequency and
severity of climate shocks is repeatedly eroding their coping capacity.
Box 1.13. Climate Change impacts in developing countries
Environmental Impacts Socio-economic resources and sectors

affected
n Changes in rainfall patterns n Water resources
n Increased frequency and severity of n Agriculture and forestry
floods, droughts, storms & heat waves n Food Security
n Changes in growing seasons and n Human Health
regions n Infrastructure (e.g. transport)
n Changes in water quality and quantity n Settlements: displacement of
n Sea level rise inhabitants and loss of livelihood
n Glacial melt n Coastal management
n Industry and energy
n Disaster response and recovery
Source: IPPC (2007)
29
Climate Change will thus exacerbate the vulnerability of those who are already socially and
economically vulnerable. It is necessary therefore to mainstream equity and solidarity issues,
as well as development needs in adaptation strategies.
n Options for national adaptation

The more people are vulnerable to climate change, the more risks they face. The best protection
against the risks in life: disease, hunger, lack of shelter, etc. is social protection. Adaptation to
climate change thus renders the need for social protection even more pressing. This includes
social security, including education, health, and social insurance.
Options for national adaptation differ according to local contexts. Adaptation needs to be
mainstreamed inside existing and future national economic and/or development plans,
strategies and budgets.
For more information on adaptation and social protection, see Module 2, Unit 2, and
Module 3, page XXX
n A variety of options are available to help the most vulnerable sectors adapt to climate change
There is a wide array of adaptation options available for the most vulnerable sectors. However,
adaptation is not occurring at the level required to reduce vulnerability to future climate change.
Adaptation options can be technological (e.g. sea defences), behavioural (changes in food and
recreational choices), managerial (e.g. changes in farm practices), and institutional (e.g. urban
planning regulations). Research and improvement of weather forecast and ecosystem based
adaptation are also important.
Water
Freshwater availability will be seriously compromised in mid-latitudes and semi-arid latitudes,
and hundred of millions people will be exposed to increased water stress25. These elements
highlight the need to act in the essential sector of water management.
High investment costs as well as the need to ensure water access to all, regardless of their
financial resources, make the water sector in developing countries particularly inadequate for
privately-managed adaptation. The costs for adapting water systems to climate change need to
be covered through public funds, which in many countries, are rather limited. This creates one
of the main barriers to adaptation for developing countries: hardly any private or public funding
has gone towards the sector which will suffer most from climate change.
30
Unit 3: Adaptation
How can water management adapt? water

n Improve water resources management, including flood risk
and drought control.
n Integrate climate change considerations into spatial and
MODULE
Improve water resource
water resources planning. management
n Improve understanding of the impacts and raise awareness, Integrate climate change
including by engaging with water utilities and water users.

considerations into spatial
and water resources planning
n Integrate water resources management with other national Understand the impacts and
policies and sectors, especially land-use, urban planning, raise awareness among the
public
energy and tourism.
n Enhance flood plain areas of rivers and designate certain
Engage with public utilities
and water users
rural areas especially for storage of freshwater surpluses or
establish underground rainwater harvesting.
1
Agriculture
Adaptation needs and measures for agriculture in developed and developing countries
differ clearly. While in developed countries agriculture accounts for around 8% of overall
employment, in regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa, it accounts for 70% of regional
employment and 35% of gross national product. In developing countries, greening and adapting
the agricultural sector is an opportunity to feed the world’s growing population without
undermining the sector’s natural resources base26. It is thus logic to focus more importantly on
adapting agriculture in developing economies, rather than in developed ones.
How can agriculture adapt?

n Improve research and knowledge of the impacts (i.e. on AGRICULTURE
food security) and costs of adaptation options, paying
special attention to indigenous and local crops, seeds
and technologies rather than to new crop varieties and Improve research and
technologies. knowledge of impacts and
costs of adaptation
n R aise awareness and improve capacity building in the
Give special attention to
sector, including training farmers. indigenous and local crops,
n Develop more efficient irrigation techniques, new cultivars,

seeds and technologies
change cropping patterns. Raise awareness, build

capacity, and train farmers
and agricultural workers
Given the special relation between agriculture and Develop more efficient
flood and drought risk management, biodiversity

irrigation techniques,
new cultivars and change
and market changes, a cross-sectoral approach is particularly cropping patterns
important for agriculture.
But as with the water sector, there are many barriers preventing the adaptation of this sector.
These barriers include lack of coordination among the large number of institutions that deal
with agriculture and lack of long-term planning. In developing countries, poverty – and the
associated lack of adequate credit facilities – is the critical barrier: the benefits of certain actions
(improved irrigation or mulching for example) may be clear to farmers, but lack of financial
resources for investment hampers their implementation.
31
Finally, food security is also a challenge that should be taken into account in adaptation
policies for agriculture. Climate change will affect first those who are the most food insecure27.
Adaptation policies need to ensure not only that agricultural production increases in an
environmentally friendly manner but that production is available, stable and accessible to the
most vulnerable.
Health
Climate change will have effects on human health and health services. The burden of malnutrition,
diarrhoeal, cardio-respiratory and infectious diseases is likely to increase. Heat waves, floods and
droughts and changes in the distribution of vector-borne diseases may cause many deaths.
In order to reduce vulnerability to the health effects of HEALTH

climate change, it is indispensable to reinforce health
services globally through increased investment in health
infrastructure, improved research, enhancement of delivery Increase investment in
capacities, awareness raising on prevention strategies, infrastructure
development of early warning systems, etc. Improve research
Capacity constraints in public health services constitute a Enhance delivery capacities
significant barrier in developing countries. These include,for Raise awareness on

example, inadequate provisions of drinking water in prevention strategies
saline affected regions, lack of funding and consistent Develop early warning
underinvestment in the sector due to exhausted public funds

systems
and low direct returns for private investors.
Coastal zones
Coastal zones risk increased damage from floods and storms
and experts affirm that if the global average temperature
COASTAL ZONEs
increases by 3º C, about 30% of global coastal wetlands

will be lost and millions of people could experience coastal
flooding each year28.
Increase investments in
infrastructure
Change aquaculture practices

Adaptation measures in coastal zones often involve
investments in infrastructure (reinforcement of beach dune Improve regulations
for restricting coastal
belts, construction of land drainage systems), but also development
changes in current practices (such as regular dumping of Engage with inhabitants for
dredged sediments from harbour aquatories) and changes in analyzing possibilities for
relocation
regulations (for example, managing land use in areas prone
to coastal flooding risk or setting back lines to restrict coastal
development).
Examples of obstacles preventing the advance of adaptation measures in coastal zones are the
large investments required, increased competition for public funds and the continuous pressure
to promote real estate and economic development in coastal areas.
32
Unit 3: Adaptation
Some areas are particularly vulnerable and the option for relocation should be seriously
considered as livelihood and/or physical environment of communities living in these areas
would be severely damaged, or could even disappear. In these cases, the competent authorities
should establish the adequate mechanisms in order to guarantee participation of affected people
MODULE
in decision-making processes.
Ecosystems and forests

A 2ºC rise in temperature will entail an increased risk of extinction for 30% of species and the
bleaching of practically all coral.
The adaptation of natural ecosystems is very closely related to other strategies such as
mangrove conservation and forest management. ECOSYSTEMS & FORESTS
1
How can natural ecosystems adapt?
n E fforts should be focused on research and impact Improve research and
assessment, strengthening monitoring capabilities and impact assessments
community-based conservation programmes. Strengthen monitoring

n Improve adaptation plans and practices specifically focused
capabilities
on desertification, alpine environments and protected areas. Promote community-based

conservation programmes
n P romote society awareness and involve people in the
assessments of the vulnerability of ecosystems and
Improve adaptation plans in
the light of desertification
dependent industries or communities, and in the formulation problems
and implementation of specific adaptation strategies. Promote awareness and

participation of local
stakeholders, including workers
33
Impact associated
with global
temperature change
+1° +2° +3° +4° +5°
Global mean annual temperature change relative to 1980-1999
Increased water availability in moist tropics and high altitudes

Decreased water availability and increase in droughts in mid-altitudes and semi-arid low latitudes
Water People affected: Additional people
with increased
04 to 1.7 billion 1.0 to 2.0 billion 1.1 to 3.2 billion water stress
Increased About 20 to 30% of species at Major extinctions around the globe

amphibian extinction increasingly high risk of extinction
Increased coral bleaching Most corals bleached Widespread coral mortality

Eco-systems
Increased species range shifts and wildfire risk Terrestrial biosphere tends toward a net carbon source
-15% of ecosystems affected -40% of ecosystems affected
Low latitudes: Crop

productivity decreases for
some cereals All cereals decrease
Food Mid to high latitudes: Crop
productivity increases for
some cereals Decreases in some regions
Increased damage from floods and storms

About 30%loss of coastal wetlands
Coasts Additional people at risk
of coastal flooding each year: 0 to 3 million 2 to 15 million
Increased burden from malnutrition, diarrhoeal, cardio-respiratory and infectious diseases
Health Increased morbidity and mortality from heatwaves, floods and droughts
Changed distribution of some disease vectors Substantial burden on health services
Key ideas OF UNIT 3
n Adaptation is the complementary way of responding to the

challenge posed by climate change. It aims to help managing
the change by reducing vulnerability and building resilience to
its impacts.
n Adaptation and mitigation are mutually reinforcing: without
mitigation measures, extreme climate change impacts will be
unmanageable.
n The capacity to adapt however is related to income and
capabilities. While everybody will experience impacts, the
most vulnerable will experience the most.
n It implies important investments in the most vulnerable
sectors (water, health, agriculture, etc.) to avoid or reduce the
impacts of climate change.
n Without public policies, the most vulnerable groups (i.e. the
poorest citizens) and at the international level, the poorest and
most vulnerable countries are at risk to suffer most from their
inability to adapt as their financial resources and thus their
capacity to invest in climate-proof technologies are limited.
n Adaptation policies could provide social and economic benefits.
34
Unit 4: Economics of climate change
MODULE
There are two response ‘options’ to climate change:
1. The first one is to take action. This means to invest in climate-friendly technologies, to
change behaviours in order to reduce our climate footprint and to prepare our societies for
the unavoidable impacts of climate change.
2. The second option is not to take action and remain in the so-called ‘business as usual
scenario’. This means to maintain (or increase further) our current volumes of energy
consumption and production, keep our current sources of energy and let individuals adapt
1
to abrupt weather and environmental changes on their own.
Both response options have a cost: financial, social and human. This unit will address the cost
of action and inaction and will show that the costs of inaction will be far more important
than those of early coordinated and responsible action.
In our daily lives, the ‘Economy’ is frequently referred to as the basis of political decisions
which affect our jobs and livelihoods. As political decisions are often based on economic
rationale, researchers have begun to analyze the consequences of climate change with economic
tools. This had the merit of raising the importance of climate change in the political agenda.
Sometimes however, economic models underestimate damage costs because they do not
include many non-quantifiable impacts such as social consequences and because they do not
fully capture the varied interactions between different climate impacts. Much more importance
should be given to the need for alternative economic models which can guarantee a sustainable
and just development.
In this chapter, we will sum up available information on the economic costs of climate change
and its consequences.
Taking action has a cost…

We are still unsure of the real costs of responsible policies aimed at reducing the effects of
climate change. Nevertheless, studies are now beginning to assess some of the financial
requirements needed to keep GHG emissions concentrations at safe levels.
A study undertaken by the UNFCCC in 2007, estimates the investments needed for a scenario
of returning global GHG emissions to current levels by 2030. This encompasses mitigation and
adaptation policies.
n For mitigationmeasures additional investment and financial flows between USD 200-210
billion in 2030 will be required.
n Additional investment and financial flows will be needed for adaptation by 2030 that amount
to several tens of billions of USD.
35
Box 1.14. How much will actions aimed at combating climate change cost?
Additional investment and financial flows in 2030
Mitigation
Global
Sectors
(billion USD)
Agriculture 35
Building 51
Energy RD&D 35-45
Energy Supply Infrastructure (-) 67
Forestry 21
Industry 36
Transport 88
Waste 0.9
Global: 200–210 billion USD (0.92% of projected global
investment and 0.26%of global GDP in 2030)
Developing countries: 76-77 billion USD (0.86% of

projected global investment and 0.29% of GDP in 2030)
Adaptation in some selected sectors

Global Share of develo-
Sectors
(billion USD) ping countries
Agriculture, forestry and 14 50%
fisheries
Coastal zone 11 40%
Human health 5 100%
Infrastructure 8-130 25%
Water supply 11 80%
Global: Overall needs identified in this study correspond to 0.2–0.8% of
global investment flows or 0.06-0.21 % of projected GDP in 2030.
Developing countries: 28 to 67 billion USD in 2030.

Source: UNFCCC (2007)
If these figures focus on investment needs and they do not include the costs that will be covered
by individuals (such as the renewal of electric appliances or the insulation of houses), they help
us identify the amount of sectoral investments needed to both mitigate and adapt to climate
change. Nonetheless, we should take them as indicative.
Estimated investment and financial flows needed in 2030 is large in absolute

terms, but small in relation to estimated global GDP (0.3 to 0.5%) and global
investment (1.1 to 1.7%) in 2030.
36
All these changes will have consequences on employment, which will be further developed
in module 2.
Other studies from the UNFCCC outline that investment and financial flows needed for
MODULE
adaptation are likely to be tens of billions of dollars per year over several decades from now.
However, current research on adaptation costs at the global level is preliminary. Major research gaps
include the non-monetary benefits of adaptation (on employment for instance), the links between
adaptation and mitigation, cross-sectoral and wider economic effects and the limits of adaptation. It
is also extremely difficult to consider vulnerability and distributional effects on a global scale29.
Inaction will be much more expensive than taking action

Keeping GHG emissions at current concentrations by 2030 is a first step towards obtaining
larger reductions by 2050, and may imply huge investments. However, many recent studies
1
have warned of the risk of not taking action now against climate change. This section will
review how the costs of uncontrolled climate change to the environment, human health and the
economy could be even worse.
The Stern review asserts that without action, “the level of 550ppm CO2 could be reached as
early as 2035. At this level, there is at least a 77% chance - and perhaps up to a 99% chance,
depending on the climate model used - of a global average temperature rise exceeding 2°C”30,
so we need to focus on avoiding more serious problems associated with even higher rises in
temperature. Based on this rise and taking into account the risk of an abrupt and large-scale
climate change, the study estimates a 5 to 10% loss in global Gross Domestic Product (GDP),
with poor countries suffering costs in excess of 10%.
This estimate does not include elements likely to aggravate the consequences
of inaction. Stern estimates that the overall costs for not taking action could
include a 20% reduction in current per-capita consumption.
n Social Impacts cannot be measured in monetary terms.

The Stern review also points out that climate change will cause a whole set of impacts,
particularly on the environment and human health, which cannot be given a precise monetary
value and are thus difficult to include in the current cost calculations. These are called ‘non-
market’ impacts and the Stern review estimates that if they were included they could increase
the total cost of climate change from 5% to 11% of GDP. Of special concern to us is that these
‘non-market’ impacts do not contemplate social and political impacts, which also cannot be
measured in monetary terms.
Finally, it is also important to remember that climate change related costs will also affect investment
decisions, labour supply and productivity, and even social and political stability. Only if the right
adaptation policies are in place can the negative consequences of these changes be reduced.
37
n The poorest regions of the world will suffer disproportionately the burden of climate change
In all the scenarios examined, the most severe impacts will be felt in Africa, the Middle East, India
and South-East Asia. A 20% reduction in per capita consumption will certainly drive these regions
into even deeper social and economic crises. Therefore, special attention should be given to those
consequences when deciding how to move away from out current ’path of inaction’.
n Inaction on climate change will impact not only production but also welfare
According to the Stern review, climate change is projected to reduce average global welfare
by an amount equivalent to a permanent cut in per-capita consumption of at least 5%. This
figure, for reasons we have just mentioned, could go up to 20% if calculations included all non
monetary impacts (social and political impacts).
Between the two options available for dealing with climate change, the only
responsible one is to tackle it. This is because the consequences of uncontrolled
climate change could greatly exceed our worst predictions and it does not
make sense to prefer paying high costs later when options to reduce them are
available at a lower cost now.
Why then, if taking action is the only evident option, does it seem that humanity is set on
a road to collision? Climate Change is a global problem that requires global responses and
solidarity. While some initial steps have already been taken to deal with these problems based
on a multilateral approach, self-serving policies based on a narrow and short-term vision have
so far hampered further commitments and developments. This is precisely the reason why it is
so important that all stakeholders, including workers and their trade unions, understand what
could be done to help address this challenge.
Key ideas OF UNIT 4
n The fight against climate change has a cost, at least 1% of

global GDP per year by 203031.
n If we do not act now, the impacts on our lives will be much
greater and, consequently, the costs will be much higher
(5-10% loss in global GDP).
n For the most vulnerable regions, it could be up to a 20% reduction
in per capita consumption, which will certainly drive these regions
into even deeper social and economic crises.
38
Unit 5: International governance of climate change
Unit 5: International governance

of climate change
MODULE
‘A Global governance problem’, ‘the biggest market failure’, ‘a challenge for humanity’:
these are just a few catchphrases to describe climate change. All of them highlight that it is a
collective issue that requires a collective solution. How do we deal with a problem whose
effects are not equally suffered by those who cause it? How do we introduce solidarity into the
international arena, where realpolitik is the dominant rule? How can all of us agree a common
policy for our children and their children, together?
The international community reacts
1
Scientific evidence and public awareness of climate change grew considerably during the 80s.
Nonetheless, it was not until 1992, at the UN Conference on Environment and Development
held in Rio de Janeiro, that the governments of the world adopted the first international
instrument to tackle the problem: the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC), which entered into force in 1994.
n The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC): its goals,
its importance.
The UNFCCC is the first international treaty to deal with climate change. As its title indicates,
the Convention is a framework for addressing a problem of global proportions, that requires
harmonized world policies, and the contents that establish objectives, principles and
instruments that are ductile at the same time as they are effective at achieving these policies.
The goal of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is outlined in its
article 2 which states:
The ultimate objective of the current Convention and of any related legal instrument that
is adopted by the Conference of the Parties, is to achieve, in accordance with the pertinent
provisions of the Convention, the establishment of the concentrations of greenhouse gases in
the atmosphere at a level that impedes dangerous anthropogenic interferences in the climatic
system. This level should be reached within a sufficient timeframe to allow for ecosystems
to naturally adapt to climate change, ensuring that food production is not threatened and
permitting for economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.
n Signatory governments from all over the world recognize that the climate system is a
shared resource (as of September 2011, the convention has been signed by 195 Parties –
194 states and the European Union);
n Assume that its stability can be affected by industrial and other emissions of carbon
dioxide and other greenhouse gases;
n C ommit to stabilize GHG concentrations at a level that would prevent dangerous
interference with the climate system, allowing ecosystems to adapt naturally to
climate change, ensuring that food production is not threatened and enabling economic
development to proceed in a sustainable manner.
39
All previous work of the international climate change negotiations has been to determine what
is the level of stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations that guarantees that dangerous
interferences in the climatic system are impeded and that permits ecosystems to adapt, while
ensuring food production and sustainable development; within what timelines these emissions
should be reduced in order to not surpass this level, and who will do this and how.
In terms of the issue of who and how, governments accepted to negotiate with a common
goal but on a differentiated basis: countries make commitments according to their level of
responsibility towards climate change. Thus, industrialized countries commit to reduce their
emissions while developing countries commit to follow sustainable development pathways.
This is the ‘common but differentiated responsibilities’ principle.
n Differentiated responsibilities:
In order to understand what responsibility each country has had in the dimension of the
problem, meaning its contribution to the emission of greenhouse gases, we find different lists
and tables:
n D epending on the type of gases that are taken into account: we find tables and
rankings of countries according to their emission of CO2 only (the most frequent gas)
and other lists in which other greenhouse gases are also counted (in the table compare
columns 2 and 3).
n Depending on whether or not we take into account the emission of CO2 provoked by
deforestation (in the table compare columns 2 and 3).
n Depending on the period of time covered: we will find data that takes into account
total current emissions and other that takes into account historical emissions, that
have been produced, for example, since the industrial revolution (in the table compare
columns 2 and 4).
n Depending on whether the global emissions of a country are counted, or if we divide
these by its population, the number of persons that live in that country, which is called
per capita (in the table compare columns 1 and 2, for example).
The position of the countries in these lists, as we can see varies, as we count emissions based on
one mode or another. It is important to know how and what is being counted.
40
1 2 3 4
ONLY CO2 EMISSIONS ALL GREENHOUSE HISTORICAL CO2
PER CAPITA EMISSIONS
(% of total emissions) GASES EMISSIONS EMISSIONS
MODULE
It does not include land It includes bunker fuels CO2 emissions
MT. It does not include land use
use and land use from 1850-2002
1. Qatar: 40,12 MT 1. China: 23,33% 1. China: 16.4% 1. US: 29,3%
2. United Arab Emirates: 31,97 MT 2. US: 8,11% 2. US: 15.7% 2. Russia: 8,1%
3. Trinidad and Tobago: 30,00 MT 3. India; 5,78% 3. Brazil: 6.5% 3. China: 7,6%
4. Kuwait: 28,88 MT 4. Russia: 5,67% 4. Indonesia: 4.6% 4. Germany: 7,3%
5.Bahrain: 28,86 MT 5. Japan: 4,01% 5. Russia: 4.6% 5. UK: 6,3%
6. Netherlands Antilles: 25,10 MT 6. Germany: 2,61% 6. India: 4.2% 6. Japan: 4,1%
7. Brunei Darussalam: 20,30 MT 7. Canada: 1,80% 7. Japan: 3.1% 7. France: 2.9%
8. Luxembourg: 20,10 MT 8. Iran: 1,79% 8. Germany: 2.3% 8. India: 2.2%
1
9. Australia: 17,87 MT 9. United Kingdom: 1,73% 9. Canada: 1.8% 9. Ukraine: 2.2%
10. Gibraltar: 17,26 MT 10. South Korea: 1,69% 10. Mexico: 1.6% 10. Canada: 2,1%
Source. IEA 2011 Source: CDIA 2008 Source: WRI 2005 Source: WRI 2005
Additional information:
The European Union counted jointly would rank in at number 3 in total CO2 emissions and
would rank 2 in historical CO2 emissions (column 4) 32.
In 2011, China is the biggest emitter, but it ranks much lower in emissions per person. A
Chinese citizen emits 5.5 tones of CO2 per capita. United States is the second highest emitter,
but it ranks in at number 11 in emissions per capita. A US citizen emits 16.9 CO2 tones per
capita (more than 3 times a Chinese citizen).
Chad, Mali and Burundi are close to 0 CO2 per capita.
n Annex I or Non-Annex I
Discussions about the Climate Change Convention often refer to ‘Annex I’ or ‘Non Annex I’
countries. These are the groupings defined by the Convention to discriminate between countries
according to their responsibilities for current concentrations of GHG in the atmosphere. Annex
I are industrialized countries listed in the Annex I of the Convention, while Non-Annex I
tend to be all other developing countries. There is also another group of countries: the Least
Developed Countries (LDCs), which are given special consideration because of their limited
capacity to respond to climate change and adapt to its adverse affects.
n COP, SBSTA, SBI

These are the acronyms of the governing bodies of the Convention.
1. Conference of the Parties (COP): once a year, all Governments that are party to the
Convention meet to adopt decisions and further develop the Convention.
2. In conjunction with the COP, the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological
Advice (SBSTA) meets to advise the COP on matters of science and technology as well
as the Subsidiary Body for Implementation, which helps to assess and review the
Convention’s implementation.
41
List of all COPS

COP 1 BERLIN 1995
COP 2 GENEVA 1996
COP 3 KYOTO 1997
COP 4 BUENOS AIRES 1998
COP 5 BONN 1999
COP 6 HAGUE 2000
COP 6 bis BONN 2000
COP 7 MARRAKECH 2001
COP 8 NEW DELHI 2002
COP 9 MILAN 2003
COP 10 BUENOS AIRES 2004
COP 11/MOP1 MONTREAL 2005
COP 12/MOP2 NAIROBI 2006
COP 13/MOP3 BALI 2007
COP 14/MOP4 POZNAN 2008
COP 15/MOP5 COPENHAGEN 2009
COP 16/ MOP6 CANCUN 2010
COP 17/ MOP7 DURBAN 2011
Putting the Convention into motion: The Kyoto Protocol

and its instruments
One of the most important milestones along this path occurred in Kyoto, in 1997, where the
Conference of the Parties agreed on specific reduction targets for Annex I countries (see table
below). The Kyoto Protocol aims to reduce GHG emissions by at least 5% according to 1990
levels during the 1st commitment period from 2008 to 2012.
Box 1.15. Countries with emissions targets under the Kyoto Protocol
Country Target
(1990 - 2008/2012)
EU-15, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, -8%
Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Monaco,
Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland
USA -7%
Canada -6%
Hungary -6%
Japan -6%
Poland -6%
Croatia -5%
New Zealand 0%
Russian Federation 0%
Ukraine 0%
Norway +1%
Australia +8%
Iceland +10%
190 Parties have ratified the Kyoto Protocol. It has been in force since 2005. The
United States decided not to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.
Source: UNFCCC (2011)
42
Box 1.16. Expected results of countries with emissions targets under the
Kyoto Protocol
Country Estimated Result
MODULE
EU-15, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, -7.3%
Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Monaco, +25.1%
Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Switzerland
Canada +26.6%
Hungary -31.8%
Japan +6.5%
Poland -31.2%
Croatia -5.4%
1
New Zealand +21.3%
Russian Federation -32%
Ukraine -55.3%
Norway +10.3%
Australia +25.1%
Iceland -5%
Source: Sustainlabour (2008)
n How does the Protocol work?

Commitments under the Protocol vary from nation to nation. The overall 5 per cent target for
developed countries is to be met through cuts (1990 baseline) of 8 per cent in the European
Union (EU15), Switzerland, and most Central and East European states, 7 per cent in the
United States (although the US has since withdrawn its support to the Protocol) and 6 per cent
in Canada, Hungary, Japan and Poland.
New Zealand, Russia and Ukraine are to stabilize their emissions, while Norway may increase
emissions by up to 1 per cent, and Iceland by 10 per cent.
The EU has made its own internal agreement to meet its 8 per cent target by distributing
different rates to its member states. These targets range from a 28 per cent reduction for
Luxembourg and 21 per cent cuts for Denmark and Germany to a potential 25 per cent increase
for Greece and a 27 per cent increase for Portugal. The 10 states which joined the EU in 2004
have targets which range between 6 and 8 per cent reduction.
n The Kyoto Protocol covers emission reduction targets from 2008 to 2012
n It aims to reduce 5 per cent of GHG compared to 1990 levels
n United States, the bigger emitter at the time of its negotiation, never ratified it.
43
n Flexibility mechanisms, what are they about?

While countries should first reduce their emissions by modifying the energy intensity of their
economy, the Kyoto Protocol offers three flexibility mechanisms to help countries in
meeting their targets.
n C lean Development Mechanism (CDM): A developed country invests in a GHG

emissions reduction project in a developing country. It is a win-win strategy: the
developed country counts these emissions reduction as if they were reduced in its own
territory; the developing country receives clean technologies and funds which will
enhance clean and sustainable development.
n Joint Implementation (JI): A developed country receives “emissions reduction units”
when it helps to finance projects that reduce net greenhouse-gas emissions in another
developed country (in practice, the recipient state is often an “economy in transition”)33
.
n Emissions Trading: Developed countries with emissions reduction commitments can
buy and sell emissions credits to and from other developed countries. Companies with
emissions rights can sell those they have not used because they have reduced their
emissions or can buy emissions rights at market price if they have not reached their
emissions reduction target.
What is at stake?
In 2007 the Fourth Assessment report of the IPCC had an important impact on international
negotiations. The report concluded that in order to avoid a rise in the average temperature of
the planet superior to 2ºC, and catastrophic climate change that such an increase would imply,
it would be necessary to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions in 2050 to levels much lower
than current ones - 50% higher; this will mean further reductions by 80% in developed countries,
with respect to 1990 levels. As part of the mid-term objectives, the IPCC situated the scenario
which best guarantees the mentioned objective, to achieve a reduction by 2020 on the part of the
aforementioned countries of 25 to 40% in relation to 1990, and a concentration of greenhouse gas
emissions in the atmosphere that does not surpass 450 ppm or parts per million.
These conclusions had to also be reflected in intergovernmental agreements. Note that the
Kyoto Protocol committed the international community to an overall 5% reduction, so it now
faces a huge challenge: it has to commit to new and more ambitious emissions reduction targets
for the post-2012 period.
For this reason, the negotiations opened at the 2007 COP in Bali in two processes that could
result in converging and obeying the two multilateral agreements in force: the United Nations
Framework on Climate Change (adopted in 1992 and ratified in 1994 by all countries, including
the United States), and the Kyoto Protocol (binding agreement adopted in 1997 and ratified
in 2005, with the exemption of the USA). The Convention as well as the Kyoto Protocol
are contemplating their corresponding revision and development, this is what is pursuant
to the two open processes: A dialogue of the Convention Long term Cooperation to tackle
climate change through the application of the Convention, the Ad hoc Working Group on
Long-term Cooperative Action, known as AWG-LCA, and the negotiations under the protocol
44
that are being developed in the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I
Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP). The AWG-LCA had a two-year mandate, until
December of 2009, meaning until the Copenhagen Summit, to reach a global exhaustive
agreement in the fight against climate change.
MODULE
Global trade union position at the Bali Summit
“The most important challenge that the international community faces is to
ensure a new post-2012 Kyoto Protocol. As trade unions, we trust that Bali will
set out the principles of a new and more ambitious process of social change, in
which our collective heart and mind impose how our planet should be saved
through sustainability and mutual respect. The General Council of the ITUC, in
the month of June 2007, made a call, in this respect, on the urgent need to tackle
1
climate change as a priority for the new trade union internationalism. Trade
unions believe that the new agreement should limit the global average increase
in temperature to no more than 2ºC, establishing a secure and sustainable
means of reducing global emissions. In line with this fundamental objective,
trade unions urge Governments at the Bali UNFCCC to follow the IPCC scenario,
to maintain the global temperature increase within the 2ºC limit and to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions by 85% by 2050.
n The Copenhagen Summit

Regarding the substantive elements of the Copenhagen outcome and despite a historic level of
political and public mobilisation it is fair to say that the conference did not deliver on establishing
a legally-binding framework to address climate change in the post-2012 framework, or a
politically ambitious objective for climate action. The Conference agreed to renew the mandates
of the two working groups dealing with the post-2012 framework (AWG-LCA and AWG-KP).
The ”Copenhagen Accord” distributed at the end of the Conference, which was only noted rather
than approved as a UNFCCC document and therefore lacks official status.
45
More than 400 trade unionists participated in activities related to the 15th Conference of
the Parties to the UNFCCC, held from the 7th to the 18th December 2009 in Copenhagen.
Some key points of their position:
Time for tackling climate change

We reaffirm the commitment of the global trade union movement to achieving an
agreement that will limit the global temperature raise to no more than 2°C.
Consistent with this fundamental objective, trade unions urge Governments at the
UNFCCC in Copenhagen to follow the IPCC scenario for reducing global greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions to 85% lower than their 1990 levels by the year 2050 and emphasise the
need for interim targets for this to be achieved, including a corresponding reduction of at
least 25%-40% by developed countries by 2020 below 1990 levels.
Time for hope, Time for green & decent jobs, Time for a Just Transition
The great transformation that is needed to change our unsustainable, carbon-intensive
societies provides us with the opportunity to create green and decent jobs, transform
and improve traditional ones and include democracy and social justice in environmental
decision-making processes. The transformation has to be an inclusive process; it has to
come along with a social pact - a pact for a global and just transition.
A low-carbon economy, a driver for green(er) jobs

While employment protection has sometimes been cited as a reason for not engaging in
GHG emission reductions, the available evidence indicates that climate change mitigation
has positive net employment effects. Trade unions believe that climate change represents a
potentially positive opportunity to create jobs on the basis of a sustainable and fair society.
It is crucial to institutionalise dialogue, participation and awareness raising. It is now time

for governments at the UNFCCC to promote democratic decision making at the national
level and to clearly show support for accompanying measures to ensure that workers
and communities are not negatively affected by a new economy, and to guarantee a fair
distribution of the costs that are associated with this collective effort.
Time for bridging the adaptation gap

Trade unions believe that a new socially fair and climate-friendly development path
needs to emerge. Developing countries need to simultaneously shift towards sustainable
production models and supply adequate access to energy. Synergies between decent work
creation and adaptation policies must be explored, since the provision of a sustainable
income reduces vulnerability.
Time for making investments and technology work for all

Converting our existing economies into sustainable societies will reduce energy
dependence, protect natural resources and provide decent livelihoods to the workers of
the world. Ambitious green investment and financial regulation can be a source of good
quality employment creation, social cohesion and growth.
Trade Unions and climate change. Equity, justices and solidarity against climate change.
ITUC Statement at the COP15 Copenhagen.
46
ITUC Press release after Copenhagen

The ITUC has expressed dismay at the outcome of the Copenhagen Climate
Summit, as governments failed to reach a binding agreement for decisive action to
MODULE
avoid catastrophic climate change.
“World leaders failed to overcome their differences in Copenhagen. Commitments
on greenhouse gas reductions in particular have fallen short of what is needed.
Governments must overcome these differences and reach a binding agreement
in 2010, as a matter of urgency,” said ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder. “The
alternative, in terms of lives lost as well as the huge additional economic and
employment cost, is unthinkable.”
With the UN’s scientific advice clearly showing the consequences of inadequate
action, a fair and binding agreement in 2010 needs to set far-reaching targets for
1
emissions reductions by industrialised countries, combined with ambitious and
verifiable actions in developing countries. Pledges by industrialised countries to
provide assistance for adaptation and mitigation measures in developing countries
must also meet at least the minimum level estimated by the UN.
n Beyond Copenhagen
The outcome of the Copenhagen summit in 2009 demonstrated how huge the challenge is but
also how concerned the general public is. The international community now needs to agree
on a post-2012 framework, either similar or not to the Kyoto protocol but with binding and
ambitious commitments for industrialised countries not only to mitigate climate change but
also to finance adaptation in the least developed world. Discussions in Durban in December
2011 will mainly centre on those two issues although the prospect of a legally-binding and
ambitious agreement is very low. Cancun delivered an outcome that for the first time in the
UNFCCC process confirms commitment to workers’ rights, just transition and decent work,
but leaves a long way to go for the UN to agree on a framework that can save workers and
communities from climate change’s negative impacts.
However, there are still issues around the lack of distinction between emerging economies and
other developing countries. Discussions on how to involve these energy-intensive and growing
economies, in ways that do not jeopardize their development and guarantee their support for
commitments to stabilize global emissions will bring new agreements.
Climate change is also likely to be discussed in the next Conference on Sustainable

Development (Rio+20) which will take place in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012.
n What responsibilities do national governments have at home?

The moment international commitments are implemented at the national level is particularly
important. Governments have the responsibility to adapt their international commitments to their
national realities without losing the overall goal of the international agreements. In this case: the
stabilization of GHG emissions. Governments must use all available options to reduce emissions
in their countries, to the extent that their capacities and national realities allow them to.
47
They have to involve their societies in order to extend the commitment made at the international
level to their citizens, who are an essential element to achieve the emissions reduction and will
feel the effects of climate change.
Democratic, participative and inclusive policies aimed at climate change mitigation and adaptation
are core elements of a successful implementation of the Convention on Climate Change.
Equity is another essential issue, as climate change will hit harder those who already suffer
from poor social and economical conditions. The Governments’ role is to ensure these people
are able to respond to climate change effects by empowering them with the knowledge,
technology and resources they need to be actors of their lives and not passive individuals faced
with an incommensurable and unavoidable problem.
Key ideas OF UNIT 5
n Climate Change is a global problem and therefore needs a

global response.
n The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate
Change (UNFCCC) was the first step taken by the
international community to fight climate change. Since then
and until the last revision of this manual, 16 summits have
been held.
n The objective of these international negotiations has been to
determine what is the stabilizing level of the concentrations
of greenhouse gases that guarantees that dangerous
interferences in the system are impeded, according to what
timeline emissions must be reduced so as not to surpass this
level, by whom and how this should be done.
n Its first implementation agreement, the Kyoto Protocol, sets
concrete and binding targets for industrialized countries to
reduce GHG emissions in the period 2008-2012.
n The Kyoto Protocol committed the international community
to an overall 5% reduction, so it now faces a huge challenge:
it has to commit to new and more ambitious emissions
reduction targets for the post-2012 period.
48
Endnotes
1. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). (2007). Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) [online]. Available from: http://www.
ipcc.ch/ [Accessed 28th January 2011]
MODULE
2. United Kingdom Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP). What is climate change? [online]. Available from: http://www.ukcip.org.uk/
essentials/what-is-climate-change/ [Accessed 1st August 2011].
3. UNESCO/UNEP (2011). Climate Change Starter´s Guidebook. [online]. Available from: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/
images/0021/002111/211136e.pdf
1
6. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). (2007). Fourth Assessment Report – Glossary (AR4) [online]. Available from:
http://www.ipcc.ch/ [Accessed 28th January 2011]
7. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). (2011). NASA Research Finds 2010 Tied for Warmest Year on Record [online].
Available from: http://www.giss.nasa.gov/research/news/20110112 [Accessed 27th January 2011].
8. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). (2007). If we immediately stopped emitting greenhouse gases, would global
warming stop? [online]. Available from: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/blogs/climateqa/would-gw-stop-with-greenhouse-gases
[Accessed 12th September 2011].
9. United National Environmental Programme (UNEP) (2009) Climate Change Science Compendium [online]. Available from: http://www.
unep.org/compendium2009/
14. World Health Organization (WHO) (2010). Climate and Health, Fact sheet [online]. Available from: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/
factsheets/fs266/en/index.html [Accessed 27th January 2011]
16. Stern, N. (2006) Stern Review on the economics of climate change [online]. Available from: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/independent_
reviews/stern_review_economics_climate_change/stern_review_report.cfm [Accessed 28th January 2011].
17. Huntington, H.G. (2005). US carbon emissions, technological progress and economic growth since 1870 International Journal of Global
Energy Issues 23 (4), 292 – 306.
18. International Energy Agency (IEA). (2011). Prospect of limiting the global increase in temperature to 2ºC is getting bleaker [online]
Available from: http://www.iea.org/index_info.asp?id=1959 [Accessed 9th September 2011]
20. Carbon capture and storage refers to the capturing of carbon dioxide (CO2) from large emissions sources such as fossil fuel power plants and its
storing in underground places for it not to enter the atmosphere. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Point_source_pollution [Accessed
28th January 2011]
49
21. International Energy Agency (IEA). (2006). World Energy Outlook. [online]. Available from; http://www.iea.org/textbase/nppdf/
free/2006/weo2006.pdf [Accessed 28th January 2011]
22. GTZ (2007). Transport and Climate Change. Sustainable Transport: A Sourcebook for Policy-makers in Developing Cities. [online].
Available from:http://www.gtz.de/de/dokumente/en-transport-and-climate-change-2007.pdf [Accessed 12th September 2011]
23. United National Environmental Programme (UNEP). (2010). Waste and Climate Change: Global Trends and Strategy Framework
[online]. Available from: http://www.unep.or.jp/ietc/Publications/spc/Waste&ClimateChange/Waste&ClimateChange.pdf [Accessed
12th September 2011].
24. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). (2008). Ecosystem-based adaptation: An approach for building
resilience and reducing risk for local communities and ecosystems [online]. Available from: http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2008/smsn/
igo/029.pdf [Accessed 20th September 2011], 2.
26. United National Environmental Programme (UNEP). (2011). Towards a Green Economy: Pathways to Sustainable Development and
Poverty Eradication [online]. Available from: http://www.unep.org/greeneconomy/GreenEconomyReport/tabid/29846/Default.aspx
[Accessed 12th September 2011].
27. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). (2008). Climate Change and Food Security: A Framework Document
[online] Available from: http://www.fao.org/forestry/15538-079b31d45081fe9c3dbc6ff34de4807e4.pdf [Accessed 6th January 2011].
29. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). (2009). Potential costs and benefits of adaptation options: A
review of existing literature Kyoto Protocol, 6 [online]. Available from: http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/2009/tp/02r01.pdf [Accessed
30th March 2011].
30. Stern, N. (2007). The Economics of Climate Change, iii. [online]. Available from: http://coralreef.noaa.gov/aboutcrcp/strategy/
reprioritization/.../stern_execsum.pdf [Accessed 12th September 2011].
31. Stern, N. (2006) Stern Review on the economics of climate change [online]. Available from: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/independent_
reviews/stern_review_economics_climate_change/stern_review_report.cfm [Accessed 28th January 2011].
32. International Energy Agency (IEA). 2011. CO2 Emissions from Fuel Combustion Highlights: Per Capita Emissions by sector 2009.
Available from: http://www.iea.org/co2highlights/co2highlights.pdf [Accessed October 30, 2011]
33. United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). (2011b). Glossary of climate change acronyms [online].
Available from: http://unfccc.int/essential_background/glossary/items/3666.php#J [Accessed 1st August 2011].
50
Notes:
MODULE
1
51
Notes:
52
MODULE 2
Consequences Of Climate Change
On Employment
53
The previous module studied the impacts of climate change on the economy, on livelihoods and
its linkages with development dynamics. This module will examine how employment will be
affected by climate change itself and by related adaptation and mitigation policies.
Unfortunately, research in these three areas has been scarce, although recently numerous
investigations are focused on some aspects, sectoral or regional. For many sectors and regions,
information continues to be deficient. It is hard to predict how these impacts will be distributed,
as impacts on the economy might not bring about immediate, visible changes in employment
as a whole. Instead, some sectors will be adversely affected by these changes while others will
benefit from them.
This second module attempts to understand the kind of impacts that are expected on
employment:
n Climatechange impacts´ effects on employment. These will be numerous, and evidently they
will also be related to the magnitude of the change itself. Climate change will have an important
effect on societies, and therefore will also have an employment and labour dimension. In this
chapter, a table is presented with the expected impacts, based on information of the IPCC.
n Climate change policies´ effects on employment. Climate change mitigation policies (i.e.
policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions) and adaptation policies (i.e. those that attempt to
respond to climate change impacts). For policy makers, the challenge is to ensure that climate
related policies and measures simultaneously provide better living conditions for society and
translate into more decent work; better health; housing; social protection for the most vulner-
able, and that they ultimately contribute to poverty reduction and sustainable development,
ensuring equitable low carbon development processes.
It is very important to understand that if adaptation or mitigation policies are not implemented,
if emissions follow business as usual, impacts of climate change on employment will be enor-
mous, as it will be the life on planet Earth as we know it.
• Unit 1: The sectors where job losses can be expected due to extreme weather events and increase
in temperature (the first having greater relevance), especially in developing countries.
• Unit 2: The adaptation strategies to prevent job losses and even create new job opportuni-
ties in vulnerable regions and economic diversification policies.
• Unit 3: The mitigation policies in order to create jobs and to optimise the positive effects
of mitigation policies on employment (green jobs policies), and the measures to reduce the
vulnerability and protect workers in certain sectors that will be negatively impacted such as
those related to fossil fuels or energy-intensive industries and services.
54
MODULE
Module objectives
Module aims:
n Providing information on existing and potential medium/

long term effects of climate change on employment;
n Analysing the effects of strategies against climate change,
namely mitigation and adaptation, on employment.
Learning outcomes:
2
n The potential impacts of climate change on employment in
different regions and strategic sectors;
n The need to integrate employment in designing climate
change mitigation and adaptation strategies.
55
Unit 1: Effects of climate change

on employment
As previously stated there is a lack of understanding and available research on the effects of climate
change on employment. The table at the end of this unit presents a selection of climate phenomena
and trends, and summarizes the expected effects on three areas: agriculture and ecosystems, human
health, and human settlements and society. These changes are ongoing and are set to go on evolv-
ing even if we were to stop emitting greenhouse gases today. However, we can also expect if larger
quantities of GHG are further released into the atmosphere that there will be stronger and more
damaging impacts on the environment, health and economic activities. This table also points out
the link to a variable/factor that is little understood and studied: employment.
Impacts will aggravate if we do not take action against climate change!
Linking expected climate change impacts to the

employment variable
The impacts on employment in the short- to medium-term will not be due to temperature
increases, as these will basically be moderate and might even have positive impacts, for example
by increasing in some regions (i.e. East and Southeast Asia) agricultural yields. Instead, negative
impacts on employment 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.
The greater incidence of floods will also affect urban employment, in as far as damages to
transport, industrial infrastructures and settlements will affect the ability of workers to be pres-
ent at their workplaces and/or find alternatives when workplaces close. An example to illustrate
this was the destruction of New Orleans (USA) by Hurricane Katrina, which resulted in the loss
of about 40,000 jobs.
Another anticipated impact is the displacement of workplaces to areas less exposed to envi-
ronmental risks (for example, further away from the sea, or in zones less prone to cyclones). In
the context of a globalized economy, it is even harder to predict whether these displacements
would take place within the same country or across borders.
Rural employment will also be affected by climate change. Due to a greater incidence of
heavy precipitations and the damage to crops this will entail, it is anticipated that employment
in the agricultural sector will be adversely affected, especially seasonal jobs that depend on
harvesting and crop-processing. This is exemplified by research from Ruiz which found out
that climate change and neoliberal policies have led to a decrease in agricultural employment
opportunities in Chiapas, Mexico which in turn led to male migrations towards the northern
56
Unit 1: Effects of climate change on employment
states of Mexico and the United States1. In the 2010 floods in Pakistan, in addition to the heavy
death toll, almost 17 million acres of farmland have been flooded and billions of dollars worth
of crops and livestock destroyed. This destruction is particularly outstanding in a country where
two-thirds of the 180 million people are in agriculture related work2.
MODULE
Climate change is also expected to reduce workers’ productivity by increasing mortality and
morbidity because of the resurgence and proliferation of certain diseases and degradation of the
working conditions of workers, who carry out their activity outdoors, such as building workers,
because of rising temperatures. Increases in respiratory and/or water and food related diseases,
and the risk of malnutrition will negatively affect employment. These health related impacts
will certainly affect workers’ productivity as well as affecting the future incorporation of young
workers into the workforce, due to irreparable damages to their health caused during their
childhood. Increased migration and mortality will further aggravate problems such as worker
turn-over and the loss of qualified workers, which is of special concern as technical knowledge
is essential in order to adapt to changing working conditions.
Which regions are most vulnerable to employment losses?

As the first module explained, although some regions will be the first to be hard hit, the whole
planet will ultimately be affected by climate change. Regarding impacts on employment, two
2
elements are important in determining the vulnerability of a country or region:
n Physical factors: countries and regions in tropical and sub-tropical areas, and those near the
poles will be the first to be affected by increases in temperatures.
n Socio-economic factors: the weight of climate-sensitive activities in the economy (such as

agriculture and fisheries) and the capacity of human settlements to resist to climate events are
key to understanding each country’s vulnerability.
Taking these elements as a starting point and based on scientific information, we know that
Africa and South East Asia are the most vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. As
mentioned in Module 1, these regions will suffer from water stress, reduced agricultural yields
and food supply, increased flooding and exacerbation of endemic diseases.
This does not mean that other regions of the world will not be affected. In these cases however,
the effects are likely to appear later in time or to be extremely severe, and focused on very
specific areas (as might be the case with the Caribbean in the Americas region). In these coun-
tries, jobs in strategic sectors such as tropical agriculture will be particularly at risk.
AFRICA
In Africa, climate change will affect agricultural production through increased water stress,
reduced suitable areas for production and decreased yield potential. Jobs in the rural areas
will be affected not only directly through the reduction in agricultural production but also
indirectly the knock-on effect on the processing sector, private transport services to the
cities, and non-agriculture related commerce that depends on the revenues of this activity
(i.e. small shops in rural communities).
57
As an example, an increase of only 2°C would make areas of Uganda unsuitable for coffee
production; this in a country where the coffee sector is the most important exporter and one of
the biggest employers3.
Fisheries are a major source of work in Africa, where this industry employs up to 10 million
people. In some areas, a large proportion of the population is involved in fishing. A study
in Tanga (Tanzania), found that 70-80% of men were involved in it. Migrant fisheries may
employ agricultural workers as crew, providing seasonal employment and contributing to
village economies. Fisheries will be affected by a drastic reduction in resources due to rising
water temperatures, exacerbated by continued over-fishing. Mangroves and coral-reefs are
also expected to be affected, entailing further consequences for this sector. Job losses are to be
expected if measures are not taken to preserve resources or adapt economic activity.
Projected sea-level rise in coastal areas, where most African capitals are located, and the greater risk
of floods will affect urban employment and increase stress on transport and infrastructure, many of
which are already under pressure because of unplanned urbanisation and lack of public services.
ASIA
Up to 60% of the income of rural households in Asia is directly related to agricultural production,
while the rest comes from waged-labour in the same sector. Thus, rises in the frequency of
floods or decreases in freshwater availability are likely to affect the two main sources of income
of these households. The development of the Asian region will be subject to an increased water
stress. It is predicted that up to one billion people will be affected by 2050.
Coastal areas, especially heavily-populated mega-delta regions, will be at greater risks due to
increased floods and sea-level rise, which will also raise endemic morbidity and mortality due
to diseases such as diarrhoea or cholera. Not to mention the damage to infrastructure, like roads
and power lines, and the subsequent disruption of economic activity and reduction of worker’s
income. The 2010 Pakistan floods for instance, according to the Pakistani government, directly
affected about 20 million people, mostly by destruction of property, livelihood and infrastruc-
ture, with a death toll of close to 2,000 people.
LATIN AMERICA
In Latin America, increases in temperatures and decreases in soil water in the eastern Amazonia
will result in savanna gradually replacing tropical forests by 2050, and arid-land vegetation
replacing semi-arid vegetation. Both cases are examples of changes to tropical areas which
will result in a significant risk of biodiversity loss (see Module 1 for further information).
An obvious link between biodiversity and employment is through tourism. In Guatemala, forests
are one of the main tourist attractions. The travel and tourism economy there accounted for 7.2%
of GDP and 257,000 jobs in 2007 (6.3% of total employment). In the medium term, these jobs
could be at risk if natural environments are not protected against changes in climate.
In drier areas, climate change is expected to lead to salinisation and desertification of agri-
cultural land. The productivity of some important crops and livestock is projected to decline,
58
Unit 1: Effects of climate change on employment
with negative consequences for food security. Agriculture still accounts for 17% of the global
employment share in Latin America and the Caribbean. However, the precise impact of these
slow-changing trends on employment is more difficult to assess.
MODULE
In temperate zones, soybean yields are projected to increase. However, due to the moderate
labour-intensity of this activity, major positive impacts on employment are unlikely.
Sea level rise will increase the risk of flooding in low-lying areas. Additionally, increases in sea
surface temperature are projected to adversely affect Mesoamerican coral reefs and cause shifts
in the location of south-east Pacific fish stocks. This movement of the resource could affect
negatively more than 60 thousand people working as fishermen and fish farmers.
While the effects of climate change on employment may seem

unavoidable, it is important to remember that political choices can
affect those effects, particularly through adaptation and mitigation.
59
Box 2.1 Selected environmental consequences of climate change and

examples of major projected impacts by sector
Examples of major projected impacts by sector
Phenomenon and trend Agriculture, forestry and Human health Human settlements and
ecosystems society
Over most land areas; warmer Increased yields in colder Reduced human mortality due Reduced energy demand for
and fewer cold days and nights; e nv i ro n m e n t s ; d e c reas e d to less exposure to the cold. heating; increased demand for
warmer and more frequent hot yields in warmer environments; cooling; declining air quality in
days and nights. increased insect outbreaks. cities; reduced disruption to
transport due to snow and ice;
effects on winter tourism
Po s i t i v e a n d /o r n e g a t i v e
impacts on employment
identified
An increase in the frequency of Reduced yields in warmer Increased risk of heat-related Reduction in the quality of
warm spells and heat waves regions due to heat stress and mortality, especially for the life for people in warm areas
over most land areas. an increase in the risk of wild elderly, chronically sick, very without appropriate housing;
fires. young and socially-isolated. impacts on elderly, very young
and poor.
identified
An increase in the frequency of Damage to crops; soil erosion, Increased risk of deaths, Disruption of settlements,
heavy precipitation events over inability to cultivate land due to injuries, infectious, respiratory co m m e rce, t ra n s p o r t a n d
most areas. water logging of soils. and skin diseases. communities due to flooding;
pressures on urban and
rural infrastructures; loss of
property.
identified
Areas affected by increases in Land degradation; lower yields Increased risk of food and Wa t e r s h o r t a g e s fo r
the frequency of drought. a n d /o r c r o p d a m a ge a n d water shortage; increased settlements, industry and
failure; increased livestock risk of malnutrition; increased communities; reduced
deaths; increased risk of risk of water and food-borne hydropower generation
wildfire. diseases. p o t e n t i a l s ; p o t e n t i a l ly,
population migration.
Positive and/or negative
identified
An increase in intense tropical Damage to crops; windthrow Increased risk of deaths, Disruption by flood and high
cyclone activity. (uprooting) of trees; damage injuries, water- and food-borne winds; withdrawal of risk
to coral reefs. diseases; post-traumatic coverage in vulnerable areas
stress disorders. by private insurers; potential
for population migrations; loss
of property.
identified
Increased incidence of extreme Salinisation of irrigation water, Increased risk of deaths and Costs of coastal protection
high sea level (excludes estuaries and freshwater injuries by drowning in floods; versus costs of land-use
tsunamis) systems. migration related health relocation; potential for
effects. movement of populations and
infrastructure.
identified
Source: (IPCC, 2007) (Sustainlabour, 2008)
60
Unit 2: Effects of adaptation on employment
Key ideas of unit 1
MODULE
n Research on the impacts of climate change on employment
is scarce.
n Many sectors are expected to suffer from job losses due to
extreme weather events and increases in temperatures (the
first being more important in the short run).
n Loss of employment in climate-sensitive sectors, such as
agriculture, fisheries and tourism seem very likely, especially
in developing countries - in Africa and Asia in particular.
61
Unit 2: EFFECTS OF ADAPTATION ON

EMPLOYMENT
The previous unit identified areas where jobs losses could be expected because of climate change.
This unit will highlight that taking measures now to combat climate change could not only be
a way to avoid some of the aforementioned jobs losses, but also a strategy for creating new
sources of employment. Ambitious adaptation policies are the only possible way to counteract the
immense devastating effects that climate change will have in some region’s jobs and incomes.
Far more regional, sectoral and local research is needed to understand the effects adaptation
measures can have on employment.
Having said that, it is fair to note that policies to adapt to climate change in different productive
sectors need to take into account their labour impacts. Let’s take for example crop changing
for adaptation: the intensity of the output product that is being substituted has to be considered,
in order to avoid conflicts between short-term income needs for workers and mid- to long-
term policies. Policies have to be adopted and implemented not only because they are more
economically and environmentally viable, but also because they bring about social and labour
benefits. Policy makers should acknowledge the potential job losses or gains and their impacts
on the local economy.
Box 2.2. “Facing the social impact of climate change”
“(…) Farmers are changing their agricultural practices, sometimes switching to entirely
new crops. So far most adaptations in farming systems have related to agronomic
practices like seed selection and irrigation and to the economic viability of alternative
crops. There can also be significant shifts in employment and income opportunities.
A recent FAO study in semi-arid Bangladesh found that mango is a good alternative
to rice from an agronomic and an economic point of view. But the prospects for
employment are less encouraging: mango requires much less work than rice and
labour demand is highly concentrated in two short periods per year. That is bad news
for the one third of households in the region who depend on work as daily labourers
in agriculture.
Should the government assist the move into mango? If so, what could it do to assist
the landless agricultural labourers?
This example shows that effective adaptation policies and programmes require a
much better grasp of the problem and of options for tackling it. The ‘hotspots’ need
to be identified more clearly, i.e. the areas, sectors and population groups which will be
most affected. The nature and dynamics of these effects need to be understood. (…)”4
In this case, if policy suggests substituting rice or fisheries for another agricultural product,
which might be more economically and environmentally viable but needs less labour for its
production, then policy-makers must be aware that their policies can cause major local unem-
ployment problems. What is needed is a set of transitional measures for workers affected by the
62
changes in production, designed with the participation of workers and their representatives, and
adopted at the very beginning of any adaptation measure.
The aim of adaptation to climate change has to be not exacerbate or amplify current trends of
growing inequality, higher unemployment and declining job quality, but rather to contribute to
MODULE
the improvement of the quantity and quality of jobs and thus more climate resilient societies
and labour markets.5
Combating climate change and creating new jobs:

the virtuous circle?
As previously explained, vulnerability to climate change is a direct consequence of poverty.
Poor people have little means for planning and implementing adaptation strategies in view
of the changes that will be taking place in their jobs - notably in the informal economy -, in
their homes - often in slums or extremely precarious housing -, or within their families - for
example with regards to the health effects of climate change. Ambitious adaptation policies
can create local jobs which, if they are decent, can increase workers’ wealth and well-being,
and by doing so, reduce their vulnerability.
This virtuous circle: Adaptation policies Decent Job creation Wealth and
well-being increase Vulnerability reduction, needs to be explored and enhanced.
2
Box 2.4 presents a set of adaptation measures that could have an impact on employment, and
focuses on the area most at risk and where adaptation is most important. They are: agriculture,
forestry and ecosystems, health and human settlements.
While climate change will, generally speaking, affect these areas negatively, if it is accompa-
nied by adaptation measures, it can result in some positive effects on employment, or, at least,
less severe negative ones. Adaptation measures vary by sector, but all of them should include
provisions for workers whose jobs are at risk from changes in production needed to prepare our
society and economy for the impacts of climate change.
In the previous unit, we gave the example of coffee workers in Urganda whose job is at risk due
to climate change. This is just one of many cases. In certain countries, rice fields will have to
be replaced by other forms of agricultural production. Unfortunately, given the large number
of workers in the rice sector, it will be hard for policy-makers to find an alternative which will
not only withstand changes in weather patterns, but also provide sufficient employment and
guarantee a fair market price.
In both examples, the appropriate measures should guarantee a just transition for potentially
affected workers. These measures must include:
Social protection systems, including health coverage
As developed in the third module, access to an adequate level of social protection is recognised as
a basic right for all individuals in the Philadelphia Declaration6 , in subsequent ILO declarations
and in a number of international labour standards. Yet in many countries, especially developing
countries, the reality falls extremely short of these rights. Social protection is the tool modern
societies have developed to deal with population vulnerability. Social protection systems must
be implemented in parallel with adaptation efforts as they can diminish vulnerability to climate
63
change and strengthen social security systems, especially in developing countries.

As stated by the ILO, social protection needs to adapt in order to deal with contemporary issues such
as climate change. Climate change poses increased pressure on social security systems and if they
are not able to cope, it will bring higher risks of increased migration flows and political instability.
Economic diversification policies, able to identify potential job opportunities
Economic diversification policies aiming at increasing the economic resilience of, and reducing
reliance on, climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture, fisheries and tourism are imperative
in certain regions. They are essential to ensure the continuity of regions’ economic activities.
Economic diversification policies could be organized within a sector (ex: by changing the agri-
cultural output, by developing different tourist activities) or through the promotion of new activi-
ties in other economic sectors (ex: by shifting from agriculture to climate-insensitive industries
and services). Decisions on this issue need to be taken keeping in mind the expected impacts
of climate change in concerned zones. A consultation of local stakeholders (workers, farmers,
community leaders, among others) is key in order to understand as much as possible the impacts
of this transition, and to integrate local knowledge on possible diversification opportunities.
The analysis of the direct economic viability of proposed production outputs needs to be complet-
ed by the analysis of impacts on employment (shifts in production could generate drastic increases
or decreases in workforce needs), on local cultures and traditions, on women, among others.
Training and re-qualification programmes to help workers incorporate new sectors
It will be impossible to ensure workers a decent and sustainable life without preparing them
for new jobs, through new qualifications and training opportunities. A proactive approach is
essential as workforce training is a mid- to long-term strategy. Economic diversification poli-
cies mentioned above need to forecast workforce training needs in order to ensure that policies
benefit local communities.
64
Box 2.3. ILO submission to the UNFCCC on the Adaptation

Committee’s work plan. The ILO recommended the following areas
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for inclusion:
n Assessments of the impacts of climate change need to place specific emphasis on

the risks of; disrupted livelihoods and labour markets, higher unemployment and
more precarious and informal work, identification of those who will be most affected
by these changes, and how these effects translate into negative social outcomes
n The definition of universal indicators to measure the socio-economic impacts of

climate change adaptation policies and measures
n Social Dialogue7 and participation of relevant stakeholders- in particular workers,

employers, and other members of civil society- in the design of climate adaptation
policies, and the planning and implementation of adaptation actions, is important
as it leads to better, and more widely supported policies and measures;
n “Soft Adaptation” options that build the capacities of individuals, businesses,

communities and societies to adapt to climate change, such as investing in social
protection and income security, support with diversification of local economies
2
to create climate resilient jobs and sustainable and resilient enterprises, skills
development and creating more responsive and adequately designed labour market
institutions should be a clear pillar of any national adaptation plan;
n Social and employment gains of climate adaptation policies and measures should be
an objective and should be maximized. This can be done by giving due consideration
to, contributing to local economic development through providing SME with measures
for diversification and offering more labour-intensive works through local resources
based approaches balanced with the choice of appropriate technology;
n Adaptation approaches should build local capacities and institutions to enable

harnessing local knowledge, in particular with regards to the local environment and
the priorities of those most affected, and to enable rapid local responses that do not
depend on centralized decision-making and approval.
n For adaptation approaches and measures to be sustainable in the long term, they
need to advance climate resilience - not only in environmental terms - but also in
social and economic terms, and should therefore promote development based on
and generating green jobs .8
Adaptation strategies in developing countries are still few and relatively small in scale. Coun-
tries will and must develop them further. In this development, social and employment issues
need to be addressed in order to improve adaptation policies’ impact on development and
vulnerability. Civil society, and in particular trade unions and workers have the possibility to
improve governments understanding of these impacts and need to participate in the design and
implementation of these strategies.
65
How can adaptation prevent job losses?

In the agriculture and forestry sectors, where climate change is expected to reduce yields
and damage crops, erode soils and increase livestock deaths, adaptation policies could focus
for example, on expanding non-farming activities and farming crops able to face greater
variability in weather conditions. These policies will reduce the negative impacts of climate
change on the economic activities and on related employment.
With regards to human health, climate change is expected to:
n Reduce workers’ productivity by increasing mortality and morbidity because of the resur-
gence and proliferation of certain diseases;
n Degrade working conditions of workers who carry out their activity outdoors, such as build-
ing workers for example, because of rising temperatures.
In these cases adaptation policies need to improve legislation regarding occupational health and
safety and/or expand health services to the most vulnerable groups. This can have a positive
impact on employment and income in affected communities.
In the same way, in the tourism sector, for example, the vulnerability of workers can be reduced with
policies that focus on developing different tourist activities or promoting economic diversification.
How can adaptation create jobs?

In the agriculture and forestry sectors, for example the expansion of non-farming activities, the
establishment of tree nurseries and the promotion of local technologies are examples of policies
that can help adapt to climate change and create numerous job opportunities. The last two initiatives
are well known for their potential to empower poor people, in particular women, and give them
the opportunity to participate in the formal economy and increase their family’s income.
There will also be job opportunities in the health and associated sectors if adaptation strategies are
properly implemented by governments due to the higher amount of health risks and thus needs.
Training and improved protection of workers from new risks have to be taken into account.
New jobs will also appear in the building sector, as a consequence of infrastructure invest-
ments, such as building coastal defences, flood protections, drainage containments, adapting
roads, etc. Buildings, infrastructure and homes will have to be better adapted to climate change.
Political decisions to promote these strategies will create new job opportunities. Infrastructure
development has to be based on employment intensive investment, local resources and inclu-
sive and participatory approaches.
The negative impacts of climate change being automatic, proactive policies could
increase the potential positive impacts of climate change adaptation policies.
66
Box 2.4. Examples of adaptation measures and initial identification of

their positive and negative impacts
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Sector Negative effects of Examples of adaptation Employment effects of some
climate change measures adaptation measures
n Reduced yields in warmer n I ncrease productivity of paddy
regions due to heat stress farming for new climate conditions
n Damage to crops n Expand non-farming economic
n S oil erosion, inability to activities
cultivate land due to water n Farm crops that are able to face
logging of soils a wider variability in weather
n Land degradation conditions. A broad-range of
Agriculture, forestry and ecosystems
n Increased livestock deaths tolerance will be more important However, it takes 2-3 years before any
n Damage to coral reefs than optimal tolerance to one income/livelihood benefits arise from
n S alinisation of irrigation stress factor. new trees (fruit/fodder/fuel wood). In
w a t e r, e s t u a r i e s a n d n Use drought tolerant, low growing addition, the labour required for new
freshwater systems leguminous species which are crops or species may in fact be less.
useful for fodder and fuel wood. In these cases, workers need to be
n Investigate the use of new forestry rewarded with outside funding in order
species for schemes to be viable.
n P r o m o t e i n d i g e n o u s / l o c a l
technologies
n E stablish local tree nurseries
contour planting
n Fencing against livestock
Attention should be given to impacts on

employment in pastoralist communities.
The gradual shift of economic activity
2
n Economic diversification
from a climate-sensitive agricultural
and shrimp/fish culture, to the climate-
insensitive industry and service sectors is
a viable option to minimize risks, conserve
natural resources and shift towards
sustainable development. Training and
other accompanying measures should be
designed to minimize suffering to workers
and their families.
n Increased risk of heat-related n Increase capacity for management
mortality, especially for the of climate related risks
elderly, chronically sick, very n Adapt healthcare and social care
young and socially-isolated infrastructure (hospitals, nursing
n I ncreased risk of deaths, homes) to be more resilient to the Improvements in health systems can
injuries, infectious, respiratory effects of heat, gales and floods create new and greater employment
and skin diseases opportunities. However, for this to be
Human health
n I ncreased risk of food and true, certain conditions must be fulfilled:

water shortage increased training, improved protection
n Increased risk of malnutrition of health workers from OHS* risks.
n Increased risk of water- and * Occupational Health and Safety
food-borne diseases n Measures against health impacts
n I ncreased risk of deaths, (any measure that could counter
injuries, post-traumatic increasing risks of death, injuries
stress disorders and illnesses)
Any measure aimed at improving health
n I ncreased risk of migration conditions of workers will tackle the
related health effects negative effects of climate change
on available labour force and the
productivity of workers, thus having a
positive impact on employment.
n Reduction in the quality of n I nvestments in infrastructure,
life for people in warm areas such as coastal defences, flood
Human settlements and
without appropriate housing protection, drainage containment,

n D isruption of settlements, roads adaptation
In areas such as infrastructure, water
commerce, transport and n Make buildings, infrastructure and
management, labour-based processes
societies due to flooding and homes more adaptable to climate
in public works programmes could create
water shortages change
large numbers of jobs.
society
n Pressures on urban and rural

infrastructures n Technology and behavioural
n I mpacts on the tourism changes; modifications in seasonal
s e c to r ( w i n te r to u r i s m , tourism; Economic diversification
Caribbean tourism) Depending on regions, technology and
behavioural changes could slow the
deteriorating impact of climate change.
However, tourism can only be salvaged in
the long run by ambitious climate change
policies.
Source: (IPCC 2007) (Sustainlabour, 2008)
67
ANTICIPATE IN ORDER TO SUCCESSFULLY ADAPT:

RESEARCH, DIALOGUE AND DEMOCRATIC DECISION-MAKING
As seen in the previous section, much more research on climate change impacts on employ-
ment is needed. The same is true for adaptation: there is currently almost no assessment of the
positive employment effects of adaptation policies, making it hard for workers to evaluate the
impacts and assess the support they should give to these initiatives in the future.
We need dialogue!
As explained in previous chapters, climate change forces action to be undertaken collectively

and represents an opportunity to improve collective processes. States and social actors should
keep the needs in sight. Important policies in this direction are democratic planning and non-
discrimination as well as institutional capacity building, procedural equity, social dialogue,
informed participation of all groups, transparency and social accountability.
Nonetheless, by now, most countries have engaged in the construction of National Adaptation
Plans of Action (NAPAs). In the course of their design, these plans take into account stakehold-
ers such as employers, who can express their key concerns with regard to their businesses and
their capacity to adapt to new environmental conditions. However, in general, there have few,
if any, consultation with trade unions and workers to integrate their knowledge, concerns and
suggestions regarding climate change and adaptation plans into these National Adaptation Plans
of Action. Research in three Small Island States: the Maldives, Vanuatu and Kiribati showed
that the three NAPAs were drawn up after minimal participation from agricultural workers.9
Box2.5.: Early lessons on effectiveness and legitimacy of National

Adaptation Programmes of Action
At present, there is little evidence on the outcomes of NAPA planning processes

or implementation. Huq and Khan 2010 researched workers` right in adaptation
programmes in small island developing states (SIDS). They found that NAPA
consultation and planning processes have the same constraints and exhibit the same
problems of exclusion and narrow focus as other national planning processes (such as
those for Poverty Reduction Strategies). Their analysis of three SIDS’ NAPAs reveals
that although a NAPA is developed to prioritize adaptation action, the preparation
process has drastic flaws. Livelihood development is rarely considered in these
documents. Besides, vulnerability and the adverse impacts that would be felt by the
huge agricultural labour force are not adequately considered. Governments drafting
their NAPAs, as well as the UNFCCC Secretariat, should pay more attention to the issue
of rights in NAPAs, as climate change will have an impact on the rights of the most
vulnerable – often agricultural – communities. Rights regarding livelihood protection,
and support for the development of alternative livelihoods, are key elements of
a sound climate change adaptation policy. A correct appreciation of these rights is
possible only when the rights to participation and association are respected. “The
paradox is that, out of 138 NAPA projects that come under the heading of “agriculture
and food security”, very few take livelihood protection for agricultural workers and the
improvement of agro biodiversity into account.
68
Unit 3: Effects of mitigation on employment
One reason for this is probably that there is a lack of awareness among workers and their organ-
isations that these processes are taking place. If it is the case, it raises the need for strengthen-
ing the capacity of the trade unions in these essential issues. Training and education should be
provided to ensure that all the knowledge that workers and Trade Unions bring to the table is
MODULE
taken into account, especially since the resulting adaptation plans will condition our quality of
life for at least the next 30 years.
Climate change, as emphasized throughout this Manual, is a collective problem. As such, it has
to be solved collectively. Society cannot be expected to take responsibility for the implemen-
tation of strategies if they are not given the opportunity to participate in the decision-making
processes along with other actors. It will be impossible for workers to support strategies that
could lead to job losses if they have not been consulted and listened to.
In the initial stages of adaptation (and in the entire adaptation process), spaces must be created
for consensus building, in particular in developing countries, with different social partners. Those
spaces can result in positive qualitative and quantitative employment consequences. Social
dialogue on adaptation can also build confidence in future discussions on mitigation, especially
in sectors where dealing with impacts requires common understanding and negotiation.
Key ideas of unit 2 2

n Adaptation strategies can help to prevent job losses
due to climate change impacts and even create new job
opportunities in vulnerable regions.
n The extent of positive impacts will depend on governments’
commitment to these policies, but also on the level of
emissions reduction achieved. If temperatures rise by more than
2°C, our capacity to adapt in the future will be severely reduced.
n Infrastructure projects and economic diversification
policies are essential, but they have to take into account
the consequences on income security, inequality and
employment resulting from changes in economic activity,
and evaluate training and other transitional needs.
n The most likely sources of jobs creation, at the initial stage of
adaptation investments, will be in infrastructure development,
health services and agriculture and forestry. The degree of
economic diversification will determine the positive and
negative impacts on employment in other sectors.
n Decent work10 and Just transition in the context of
adaptation will ensure that those whose livelihoods are
affected are supported in their transition to alternative
livelihoods, income and employment.
69
Unit 3: EFFECTS OF MITIGATION ON

EMPLOYMENT
Current efforts focused on avoiding the impacts of climate change will encounter serious diffi-
culties in the future if governments do not undertake more ambitious measures to reduce the
amount of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. If GHG in the atmosphere rise above
450-550 ppm, irreversible damages to ecosystems and human lives will occur.
For this reason, first of all, workers and trade unions should be concerned about current poli-
cies as they are not sufficient to curb the current trend. Mitigation policies need to be more
ambitious and obtain wider support. Some sectors of our economy are already or will soon be
targeted by these measures (i.e. energy production, energy-intensive industries, transport, etc.).
Workers and trade unions need a better understanding of the impacts these measures will have
on employment in order to be able to take the most advantage of these policies with regards
to the creation of quality jobs and poverty reduction. It is necessary to anticipate the possible
impacts, optimizing the positive ones while reducing the negative. A just transition has to
be designed and for this to be possible, mitigation measures must be accompanied by social
protection measures whenever job or income losses are expected.
Mitigation measures can indeed have positive impacts on employment, by opening new activi-
ties in sectors affected by the targeted GHG emission reductions. Since this challenge touches
society as a whole, all sectors will be affected in one way or another. In the building sector,
for example, targets for emission reductions mean renovating current buildings to make them
climate-friendly, leading to a rise of employment in the sector.
Mitigation is key if we want our society to survive climate change and workers and their
organisations will have to face the challenges this transition will bring. Workers and trade
unions’ capacity to deal with change depends among other things, on their ability to determine
the means to help those affected by the measures. Mitigation will offer opportunities which still
remain unclear, but are likely to result in the creation of a significant number of jobs. Maximiz-
ing opportunities whilst minimising negative effects must be the common goal in this area.
Mitigation policies will have direct and indirect employment impacts. The direct employment
effects will be felt in the short-term while the indirect effects will occur in the long-term and along
the value chains of affected industries. For instance, the task of installing wind turbines is a direct
job, whereas manufacturing the steel that is used to build the wind turbine is an indirect job. Employ-
ment impacts will thus be mostly sectoral in the short-term and economy-wide in the long term.11
70
Employment will be affected in at least four ways by mitigation policies:

n Additional job creation
Ex: in the manufacturing of pollution-control devices added to existing production equipment
n Job substitution
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Ex: in shifting from fossil fuels to renewables
n Elimination of job without direct replacement
Ex: when packaging materials are discouraged or banned and their production is discontinued
n Job transformation
Ex: plumbers, electricians, metal workers will have their tasks redefined as day-to-day skill
sets, work methods and profiles are greened.12
GREEN JOBS FOR WOMEN. What are the effects of mitigation

policies on women employment?
Without adequate government and union action, women might not benefit from the
creation of jobs by mitigation policies. The majority of job creations is expected in
the secondary sectors of construction, manufacturing and energy production where
women are significantly under-represented. In the services sectors, men dominate
the better paid jobs in engineering, financial and business services, where the bulk
2
of green service positions are likely to be created. Therefore, government and union
action is required to increase the number of women who are employed, recruited,
trained, paid equitably and organised in green positions 13 .
GREEN JOBS FOR YOUTH. What are the effects of mitigation policies
on youth employment?
Research on the employment impacts of mitigation policies on young workers is
almost non-existent. Preliminary research in the United States though points out
that most green firms tend not to employ a large fraction of the youth workforce
(16-24 years old). Mitigation policies should focus on employing young workers as in
2009, globally, 81 million young people aged between 15 and 24 were unemployed14.
71
MEASURES TO ADVANCE MITIGATION AND CREATE GREEN DECENT JOBS
Time for hope, time for “green & decent” jobs: Climate policies provide an opportunity
for restoring hope, repairing and rebuilding national economies on a sustainable basis
and creating jobs while reducing GHG emissions. Trade unions are working around the
world to realise the huge opportunities for “green and decent” job creation stemming
from this global transformation and, more importantly, to improve traditional jobs
to make them socially and environmentally sustainable. Ambitious national and
international collective bargaining strategies could realize workers’ and enterprises’
potential while delivering environmentally friendly outcomes15.
What are green jobs? Are they decent?

Starting in 2007, a certain consensus emerged when it came to better articulating the response
to two simultaneous crises: the one put forth by climate change and the employment crisis
produced by the financial crisis in recent years. In this historical context the label “green
jobs” was developed and popularized. Green jobs do not have to be related specifically with
climate change, but rather with environmental challenges in general, although the majority of
the studies carried out focuses on the transition to a low-carbon economy.
In this line, one of the most well-known studies is Green Jobs: Towards Decent Work in a
Sustainable, Low-Carbon World (UNEP, ILO, ITUC, IOE) published in 2008 which gath-
ers data on employment in different sectors —renewable energy, energy efficiency in buildings,
sustainable transportation, and organic agriculture— and draws conclusions and recommenda-
tions for policy makers, business and industry, workers and trade unions in the context of the
transition towards a low-carbon economy, which may yield a real potential, and yet is faced
with formidable challenges.
ILO definition of Green Jobs16.

Green jobs are decent jobs that:
n Reduce consumption of energy and raw materials
n Limit greenhouse gas emissions
n Minimize waste and pollution
n Protect and restore ecosystems
72
Box 2.6. Green jobs progress to-date and future potential
GREEN JOB LONG-TERM GREEN JOB

GREENING POTENTIAL
PROGRESS TO-DATE POTENTIAL
Renewables Excellent Good Excellent
ENERGY
CCS Fair None Unknown
Steel Good Fair Fair
Aluminum Good Fair Fair
INDUSTRY Cement Fair Fair Fair
Pulp and Paper Good Fair Good
Recycling Excellent Good Excellent
Fuel-Efficient Cars Fair to Good Limited Good
Mass Transit Excellent Limited Excellent

TRANSPORTATION
Rail Excellent Negative Excellent
Aviation Limited Limited Limited
Green Buildings Excellent Lilmited Excellent
Retrofitting Excellent Limited Excellent

BUILDINGS
Lighting Excellent Good Excellent
Efficient Equipment and Appliances Excellent Fair Excellent
Small-Scale Sustainable Farming Excellent Negative Excellent
AGRICULTURE Organic Farming Excellent Limited Good to Excellent
Environmental Services Good Limited Unknown
Reforestation/Afforestation Good Limited Good
FORESTRY Agroforestry Good to Excellent Limited Good to Excellent
Sustainable Forestry Management Excellent Good Excellent
(ILO, Unep, Ituc and ioe 2008, 301)

73
2
MODULE
What should be kept in mind is that the rising level of informality and high levels of inequality
both within and between countries in the global economy constitutes a major challenge to the
growth of jobs in climate change-related sectors17.
MEASURES BY SECTOR
The table in box 2.6 and 2.7 show a sample of initiatives aimed at reducing GHG emissions,
and which can have a positive impact on employment in different sectors.
In the energy sector, measures promoting energy efficiency, such as regulations, will be able to
create jobs in auditing and other energy services. Auditing and evaluation of energy consumption,
the analysis of reduction opportunities for industrial and commercial facilities, as well as households,
are initial activities from which important sources of employment could emerge in the future.
The expansion of labour-intensive renewable energies such as solar, wind, geothermal and agroen-
ergy will have a positive impact on employment. Measures to create decent green jobs in this sector
include an early and consistent governmental support during the innovation stages and setting
renewable energy and labour standards that mandate a certain level of energy from renewable
sources and a high level of employment quality. The rise in employment opportunities can only be
taken up by workers who have been trained to respond to the demand. Shortages in the labour force
for this key area have already been identified and would probably disappear if ambitious training and
education programmes were put into place. If these deficiencies are addressed, then the job potential
in the renewable sector could be huge. In Germany, for example, 400,000 to 500,000 people may
be employed in renewables by the year 2020, and 710,000 by 2030. The sector’s workforce jumped
from 56,000 in 1998 to 278,000 people in 2008.18
In the case of the European Union, which has set itself ambitious targets for renewable energy
development, a modelling exercise concluded that under current policies, there would be about
950,000 direct and indirect full-time job creations by 2010 and 1.4 million by 2020. Under an
Advanced Renewable Strategy, there could be 1.7 million net job creations by 2010 and 2.5
million by 202019. WWF estimates that by increasing the share of renewable energy in Europe
to 20% of consumption levels by 2020, more than 2 million jobs could be created 20.
In the United States, between 1998 and 2007, clean energy economy jobs – a mix of white- and
blue-collar positions, from scientists and engineers to electricians, machinists and teachers –
grew by 9.1%, while total jobs grew by only 3.7%. Experts predict that the drop in this sector
due to the economic recession will be less severe than in US jobs overall21.
In China, government wind, solar and hydro power targets could lead to the creation of 6.79
million direct and indirect jobs. In South Africa, a target of 15% of electricity from renew-
ables in 2020 would mean the creation of 36,400 direct jobs and 109,100 indirect jobs (Global
Climate Network 2009, 5-6). Renewable energy can provide large benefits in low and middle
income nations that lack the resources for large centralised power plants.
Globally, the IEA estimates that for every billion dollars invested in clean energy technology,
30,000 new jobs will be created 22.
74
Renewable energy jobs are mostly local. The construction of turbines, solar panels or other
pieces of equipment can be very easily done elsewhere but the transportation costs for large
equipment and component parts are high. The installation and maintenance of clean technolo-
gies necessarily creates local jobs 23.
MODULE
In the case of biofuels, it is unclear whether they create or destroy jobs. A study for Brazil
identifies several reasons that makes ethanol production a huge opportunity for job creation 24.
However, oil palm plantations in Indonesia, for example, appear to offer fewer jobs than former
plantations25. In Tucuman, Argentina, biofuels are produced in large soy farms which have
increased rural unemployment26. In addition, we should give greater importance to analysing
working conditions and overall environmental impacts ahead of their promotion. As agricul-
tural products, agrofuels will probably contribute further to already problematic working condi-
tions (i.e. serious labour rights violations, occupational health and safety problems).
Box 2.7. Estimated Employment in the Renewable Energy Sector,

Global and Selected Countries, 2006
Renewable Energy Source World / Selected Countries1 Employment
2
(number of jobs)
Wind Germany, USA, Spain, China, 300,000
Denmark, India
Solar PV China, Germany, Spain, United 170,000
States
Solar Thermal China, Germany, Italy, USA 624,000 +
Biomass Brazil, USA, China, Germany, 1,174,000
Spain
Hydropower Europe, USA 39,000 +
Geothermal USA, Germany 25,000
Renewables, Combined 2,332,000 +
1 Countries for which information is available

(ILO, UNEP, ITUC and IOE 2008, 7)
In 2009, estimates found that globally, there are 3 million direct jobs in renewable energy industries,
about half of them in the biofuels industry, with additional indirect jobs well beyond this figure27.
In addition to renewables, carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies have gained prom-
inence as a mechanism to capture carbon emissions and store them into the ground. However,
the technology is still in its infancy, is capital-intensive and is likely to crowd out investments
in renewables and other energy alternatives28.
In the energy sector, mitigation policies also need to focus on energy efficiency (the use of less
energy to provide the same level of energy service)29. Energy efficiency measures are ready to
implement, labour-intensive activities with high local effects .In the United States, researchers
found that investing in energy efficiency programs as a substitute for investing in the produc-
75
tion of energy results in a net gain in employment (446,000 jobs) and wage income (7, 8 billion
USD) and a saving in the demand for capital and investment30.
According to Greenpeace and EREC, if the 30% of the world energy consumption came from
renewable energy by 2030 (replacing nuclear and a proportion of coal-fired power), there
would be more than 8 million jobs worldwide in renewable energy and energy efficiency by
2030, more than three times as many than with a `business-as-usual` approach31.
In the distribution of energy, the need for significant investments in training and re-skilling is
vital. The introduction of smart meters could destroy some jobs (mostly in meter reading) but
there would be a net gain in employment (Smart Meter installers and manufacturers). In the
United States, a study revealed that the installation of 128 million smart meters (virtually for
every US consumer) would create 278,600 jobs in the installation phase. The ‘steady’ phase
following would provide 139,700 jobs32.
In the building sector, promotion of climate-friendly buildings and implementation of regula-

tion aimed at buildings renovation are expected to create an important number of jobs. This
sector (highly labour intensive activities producing mainly local jobs) will nevertheless face
the challenge of improving job quality, which remains very weak. Efforts will have to focus on
providing workers with the training and new qualifications needed to improve their working
conditions. This is key as energy-efficient equipment often requires more skilled labour than
their inefficient counterparts33.
In the European Union, the European Trade Union Confederation report creates two time periods
under which a 75 percent reduction in GHG emissions could take place. In the 2050 scenario,
1,377,000 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) jobs would be created; in the 2030 scenario 2,585,000
FTE jobs would be created. This ambitious EU scenario requires that government play a key role
in funding energy efficiency programs which will in turn help fund new employment and stimu-
late economic growth. The other less ambitious scenarios would result in less job creation. The
Business as Usual (BAU) and Eurima34 scenarios, which reduce emissions by 8 and 16 percent
respectively, would create 20,000 to 62,500 FTE jobs for BAU and between 160,000 and 500,000
for the Eurima scenario35. Comparing these scenarios demonstrates that the larger the investment
and the faster the implementation of these programs, the more jobs can be created.
In the United States, investments in environmental protection in the building sector generates
more than twice the average number of jobs created by other types of investments in the same
sector36. Studies reveal that every million USD invested in building efficiency retrofits creates
10-14 direct jobs and 3-4 indirect jobs37.
Greening the building sector presents major opportunities for low and middle income coun-
tries. In South Africa, the Kuyasa Initiative in Cape Town’s largest informal settlement fitted
2,000 homes with basic energy-saving measures. It created 76 direct jobs, significantly reduced
carbon dioxide emissions, improved local air pollution, helped community cohesion and
reduced electricity costs for families of up to 40 %38.
76
In the transport sector, public transport jobs should increase, along with investment in the sector.
Rail and public transportation, for both freight and passengers should also be an important source
of well-trained, well-paid and safe jobs. These are perfect examples of decent and green jobs.
MODULE
A 2010 report revealed that on average, in the United Kingdom, rail and bus travel generates
more jobs per passenger km than car travel. Research in the US provides evidence that invest-
ing in public transportation produced twice as many jobs per dollar as investing in roads. In
addition, investment in public transport creates indirect jobs. The creation of 100 direct rail jobs
supports 140 indirect and induced jobs whereas 100 direct motor industry jobs create only 48
indirect and induced jobs. The sustainable transport sector provides a range of jobs from drivers
to semi-skilled and skilled manufacturing jobs to managerial and technical engineering jobs39.
The employment opportunities in the recycling sector are huge but working conditions are
often precarious and informal, especially in the developing world. Measures to make recy-
cling work decent and formal include the creation of institutional frameworks, community
or municipal infrastructure and the establishment of cooperatives and broad social dialogue,
as is currently done in Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador40. According to Friends of the Earth United
Kingdom (UK), recycling creates 10 times more jobs per tonne than sending rubbish to landfill
or incineration, with posts generated in collection, sorting and reprocessing, as well as in the
2
supply chain and in the wider economy41. However, in many developing countries, recycling
jobs are often dirty and hazardous. The recycling of electronics waste employs 0.7 million
people in China (estimates), mostly in small workshops where safety and environmental rules
are almost non-existent42.
CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION IS NOT ALL GOOD NEWS:

SOME MEASURES TO MINIMIZE POSSIBLE ADVERSE EFFECTS
Some sectors will suffer from efforts aimed at mitigating climate change. Furthermore,
political decisions often lie behind choosing who is going to suffer most. While trade unions
need to accept that changes in some sectors are necessary, they need to propose measures that
prevent workers from bearing the burden of these transitions. Trade unions’ long experience
with regards to economic diversification in their respective countries can help find innovative
options at the national level.
Sectors linked to fossil fuel energy and other energy-intensive sectors will be profoundly modi-
fied by emissions reduction policies. The latter include industries such as steel, iron, alumini-
um, coal but also energy-intensive services, such as road transport (see previous section).
In the European Union, we can expect losses in the European coal sector and the oil refin-
ing industry, and because of the closure of coal plants, important effects on employment are
expected in coal mining43. However, in the oil extraction industry, policies can ensure jobs are
not lost. In the United Kingdom for instance, oil extraction takes place offshore in the North
Sea and employs 350,000 people. The offshore oil and gas sector could be restructured into
an offshore renewable energy sector which would absorb those jobs if the UK government
provided training programs and assisted financially the offshore renewable energy industry44.
77
However, around the world, employment numbers in extractive industries and related sectors
such as oil refining are limited and falling. This is particularly true for coal mining, despite the
fact that coal production continues to grow. In the United States, for example, coal production
rose by close to one-third during the past two decades but mining employment fell by 50 %45.
If the world stays on a `business as usual` pathway, getting much of its energy from fossil fuels,
then 500,000 jobs would be lost between 2010 and 2030, even with a projected 37% increase
in electricity generation from coal. Even if gas capacity is increased by 50% to meet rising
demand, total power sector jobs would not go back to 2010 levels46.
In the steel industry, a proactive policy in favour of low-carbon, high-quality steel can help
retain jobs. However, both in the steel and aluminium industries, recycling (scrap-based or
secondary production) requires less workers than primary production47.
The evolution of fossil energy in developing countries is slightly different and depends on avail-
able energy sources and whether the country if a fossil fuel exporter or importer. Nevertheless, the
long term trends –under condition of ambitious climate protection policies- appear to be similar.
Transition policies should focus on these energy-intensive sectors first and aid the re-skilling of
the workforce through training and education schemes. In our example, while there is some scope
for workers of coal plants to be retrained in order to respond to vacancies in co-generation or gas
plants, other aspects also need to be taken into account, such as the fact that new job opportunities
will not necessarily appear in the same geographical area where jobs will be lost. Special attention
should also be given to the economic diversification of areas where plants are expected to close,
so that the economic basis of the community does not depend on the survival of one workplace.
If governments do not agree at the international level on an amount of CO2 per tonne of prod-
uct, no matter what the country, energy-intensive industries may also end up suffering from
emission reduction policies. As their current CO2 restrictions are very low, agreeing on this
could reduce the risk for developing countries to house polluting industries, the risk of ‘carbon
leakage’: the displacement of industries where carbon restrictions are less stringent.
Energy intensive industries have often made labour pay the cost for their lack of investment
in research and development. In their race to reduce production costs, industries have closed
factories and looked for cheaper workforce elsewhere without necessarily investing in a
sustainable policy capable of modifying CO2 patterns in their sector of activity.
In particular, in the transport sector, employment in freight and passenger transport by road might
decline. Workers in this sector already suffer from bad working conditions (i.e. long working hours,
weak wages). However, hope can be found in experiences that demonstrate that workers can be
retrained to work in expanding areas of the sector, such as urban and/or long distance rail or urban
buses. In the European Union, for instance, in the freight road transport sector, drivers of heavy
goods vehicles have been retrained to work in public passenger transport: buses and trams48.
In module 3, unit 2, further information is given on how to manage these changes in employment
in a fair way, gains and losses, which is what unions are working on - proposing a just transition.
78
Box 2.8. Some effects of mitigation measures on employment
MODULE
Sector Employment-related Impacts on Comments
affected by mitigation measures employment
mitigation
measures
n Switch in fossil fuels from coal n We should expect losses in the coal
to gas. sector and some new employment
n Expand renewable heat opportunities in the gas sector.
and power capacities, such The closure of coal power plants
Energy
as hydropower, solar, wind, will probably also have effects on

geothermal and agro-energy. employment in the coal mining sector.
n Expand energy audits of n While employment is expected to grow
industrial and commercial in the renewable energy sector, losses
facilities. in the fossil fuels/electricity sector are
to be expected. Substitutability of jobs
is still unclear.
n Promote and invest in n Buildings renovation is a labour-

efficient lighting and day light intensive source of direct employment.
Building
n Promote the use of more However, the quality of the jobs is

efficient electrical appliances, weak and the building sector will thus
and heating and cooling have to improve workers’ training and
devices. qualification.
n Improve insulation.
2
n Encourage shifts from road n Rail should benefit from the shift in
transport to rail and from modes of transport, mainly in freight and
private to public transport passengers. Workers in the road transport
Transport
systems. sector (which should see its importance

n Reduce individual transport reduced) could be retrained to work in rail
use. or other public transport options.
n The consequences of this measure
will have different impacts depending
on how early industry shifts towards
cleaner vehicles, being positive on a
‘first mover wins’ dynamic.
n Implement energy efficiency n Some sectors already suffering from

measures. outsourcing could be impacted by
Industry
n Promote material recycling climate protection measures. However,

and substitution. R&D and a global move towards
cleaner production could avoid these
n Control non-CO2 gas negative impacts.
emissions.
n Develop process-specific
technologies.
n Impose strict recycling n Need to improve working conditions in

Recycling
standards this sector and to formalise workers

n Provide incentives for industry
to recycle
n Create deposit schemes
n Fight illegal transportation of
waste
Source: (IPCC 2007) (Sustainlabour 2008)
79
Key ideas of unit 3
n Mitigation strategies are necessary to reduce future climate

risks, but also to make today’s adaptation strategies viable.
n Mitigation could create jobs in sectors such as non-fossil-
fuel energy, building, public transport and recycling.
However, the social and environmental qualities of these
jobs remain unclear. The promotion of decent and green
jobs is thus essential at an early stage.
n Mitigation will also give rise to hardships in certain sectors,
such as those related to fossil fuels or energy-intensive
industries and services. Measures aimed at re-training,
social protection and local economic diversification in
affected sectors and zones are essential to protect workers
from these changes.
n In order to manage the change fairly and equitably, some
policies have to be implemented; included in the concept of
just transition.
80
ENDNOTES
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markets. Trade Unions and Climate Change, Conference News 1 [online] Available from: http://www.ituc-csi.org/unions-and-acade-
mics-assess-the.html [Accessed 17th January 2011].
MODULE
2. Karamat, J. (2010). Pakistan’s Water World: The Political and Economic Impact of the Recent Floods Brookings Institute Available
from: http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2010/0817_pakistan_floods_karamat.aspx [Accessed 4th February 2011].
3. International Labour Organisation (ILO). (2007). World of Work 60. Green jobs: Climate change in the world of work [online] Avai-
lable from:http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/documents/publication/wcms_083901.pdf [Accessed
20th September 2011]
4. International Labour Organisation (ILO). (2007). World of Work 60. Green jobs: Climate change in the world of work [online]
Available from: http://www.ilo.org/global/publications/magazines-and-journals/world-of-work-magazine/articles/lang--en/index.
htm [Accessed 20th September 2011]
5. International Labour Organisation (ILO). (2010). Green jobs in construction. Small changes – big effect. World of Work 70. http://www.
ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/documents/publication/wcms_150107.pdf
6. International Labour Organisation (ILO). (2008). ILO Declaration of Philadelphia. Declaration concerning the aims and purposes
of the International Labour Organisation. [online] Available from: http://www.ilocarib.org.tt/projects/cariblex/conventions_23.shtml
[Accessed 15th February 2011].
7. Social dialogue is defined by the ILO to include all types of negotiation, consultation or simply exchange of information between,
or among, representatives of governments, employers and workers, on issues of common interest relating to economic and social
policy. International Labour Organisation (ILO). (2007) Social Dialogue. [online] Available from: http://www.ilo.org/public/english/
2
dialogue/download/broch2011e.pdf [Accessed 20th September 2011].
8. The ILO has defined Green Jobs as positions in agriculture, manufacturing, construction, installation, and maintenance, as well as
scientific and technical, administrative, and service-related activities that contribute substantially to preserving or restoring environ-
mental quality while at the same time meeting the standards of Decent Work.
9. International Labour Organisation (ILO). Green Jobs. [online] Available from: www.ilo.org/greenjobs [Accessed 20th September 2011].
International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). (2010). Workshop on Climate Change, its impacts on employment and labour markets.
Trade Unions and Climate Change, Conference News 1 [online] Available from: http://www.ituc-csi.org/unions-and-academics-assess-the.
html [Accessed 17th January 2011].
10. The Decent Work agenda of the ILO has four objectives, with gender equality as a crosscutting objective: Creating Jobs, Gua-
ranteeing rights at work, Extending social protection and Promoting social dialogue. For more information, you can visit the ILO
International Labour Organisation (ILO). Decent Work Agenda. [online] Available from:http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/green-jobs/
lang--en/index.htm [Accessed 20th September 2011].
11. Fankhauser, S., Sehlleier, F. and Stern, N. (2008). Climate change, innovation and jobs. Climate Policy 8, 421-429.
12. International Labour Organisation (ILO), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), International Trade Union Confederation
(ITUC) and International Organisation of Employers (IOE). (2008). Green Jobs: Towards Decent Work in a sustainable, low-carbon
world [online] Available from: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_emp/---emp_ent/documents/publication/wcms_158727.
pdf [Accessed 4th February 2011]
13. Sustainlabour (2009). Green Jobs and Women Workers [online] Available from: http://www.sustainlabour.org/documentos/Green-
JobsWomen.ENG.pdf [Accessed 23rd February 2011].
14. Davidson, M. and Gracey, K. (2011). Will Green Jobs Be YOUTH Jobs? [online] Available from: http://itsgettinghotinhere.
org/2011/06/21/will-green-jobs-be-youth-jobs/ [Accessed 21st September 2011].
15. International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). (2008). Trade unions and climate Change. Equity, justice & solidarity in the fight
against climate change. [online] Available from: http://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/No_45_-_TradeUnions_ClimateChange_COP14.
pdf [Accessed 21st September 2011].
16. International Labour Organisation (ILO). (2010). The Green Jobs Programme of the ILO. [online] Available from: http://www.ilo.
org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_emp/---emp_ent/documents/publication/wcms_158729.pdf [Accessed 14th October 2011]
81
17. Zugravu, N. (2010). Employment impact of climate policy: A literature review. Climate Strategies. Working Paper 22nd December
[online] Available from: http://www.climatestrategies.org/ [Accessed 15th February 2011]
18. World Wildlife Fund (WWF). (2009). Low carbon Jobs for Europe: Current Opportunities and Future Prospects [online] Available
from: http://assets.panda.org/downloads/low_carbon_jobs_final.pdf [Accessed 15th February 2011]
world [online] Available from: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@dgreports/@dcomm/documents/publication/wcms_098503.
20. World Wildlife Fund (WWF). (2009). Low carbon Jobs for Europe: Current Opportunities and Future Prospects [online] Available
from: http://assets.panda.org/downloads/low_carbon_jobs_final.pdf [Accessed 15th February 2011]
21. The Pew Charitable Trusts (2009). The Clean Energy Economy. Repowering Jobs, Businesses and Investments Across America
[online] Available from: http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/uploadedFiles/Clean_Economy_Report_Web.pdf [Accessed 14th
February 2011]
22. International Energy Agency (IEA). (2009). Ensuring Green Growth in a Time of Crisis. The Role of Energy Technology [online] Avai-
lable from: http://www.iea.org/papers/2009/ensuring_green_growth.pdf [Accessed 15th February 2011].
[online] Available from: http://www.climatestrategies.org/ [Accessed 15th February 2011] / International Labour Organisation (ILO),
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and International Organisation of
Employers (IOE). (2008). Green Jobs: Towards Decent Work in a sustainable, low-carbon world [online] Available from: http://www.
ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@dgreports/@dcomm/documents/publication/wcms_098503.pdf [Accessed 4th February 2011]
24. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). (2006). Brazil: A country profile on Sustainable Energy Development [online] Availa-
ble from: http://www-pub.iaea.org/mtcd/publications/PubDetails.asp?pubId=7490 [Accessed 20th September 2011].
25. Sustainlabour (2008). Developing Renewables. Renewing development [online] Available from: http://www.sustainlabour.org/dmdo-
cuments/EN161-2008.pdf [Accessed 14th February 2011].
27. Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN 21). (2010). Renewables 2010 Global Status Report [online] Available
from: http://www.ren21.net/REN21Activities/Publications/GlobalStatusReport/tabid/5434/Default.aspx [Accessed 14th February 2011].
[online] Available from: http://www.climatestrategies.org/ [Accessed 15th February 2011]
30. Scott, M. J. , Roop, J. M. , Schultz, R. W. and Cort, K. A. (2008). The impact of DOE building technology energy efficiency pro-
grams on U.S. employment, income, and investment Energy Economics 30 (5), 2283-2301.
31. Greenpeace and European Renewable Energy Council (EREC). (2009). Working for the Climate - Renewable Energy and the Green
Job [R]evolution [online] Available from: http://www.greenpeace.org/belgium/fr/presse/rapports/working-for-the-climate/ [Accessed
15th February 2011].
32. Global Climate Network (2009). Low-Carbon Jobs in an Inter-Connected World [online] Available from: http://www.globalclimate-
network.info/%2Fecomm%2Ffiles%2Fgcn_low_carbon_jobs.pdf [Accessed 14th February 2011].
34. European Mineral Wool Manufacturers Association. (Eurima). http://www.eurima.org/
82
35. European Trade Union Confederation (2007). Climate Change and Employment [online] Available from: http://www.etuc.org/a/3676
36. Goodstein, E. (2009). The Trade-off Myth: fact and Fiction About the Employment Effects of Environmental Policy. Centre for Progressi-
ve Reform [online] Available from: http://www.progressivereform.org/perspenviro_regs_jobs.cfm [Accessed 3rd February 2011].
MODULE
37. Hendricks, B., Goldstein, B., Detchon, R. and Shickman, K. (2009). Rebuilding America: A National Policy Framework for In-
vestment in Energy Efficiency Retrofits. Center for American Progress [online] Available from:http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/
public/---dgreports/---dcomm/documents/publication/wcms_150107.pdf [Accessed 20th september 2011].
38. International Labour Organisation (ILO). (2010). Green jobs in construction. Small changes – big effect. World of Work 70. Avai-
lable from: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/documents/publication/wcms_150107.pdf (Accessed
20th september 2011)
39. Ekosgen (2010). Employment in Sustainable Transport [online] Available from: http://rail-news.com/2010/07/19/new-report-shows-
sustainable-transport-is-better-for-jobs-than-motor-industry [Accessed 14th February 2011].
40. United Nations Economic Commision for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and International Labour Organisation
(ILO). The Employment Situation in Latin America and the Caribbean [online]. Available from: http://www.eclac.cl/cgi-bin/getProd.
asp?xml=/publicaciones/xml/5/42005/P42005.xml&xsl=/de/tpl-i/p9f.xsl&base=/tpl-i/top-bottom.xslt [Accessed 1st February 2011].
41. Guardian (2010). Increased recycling could create 50,000 jobs, report finds [online] Available from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/envi-
ronment/2010/sep/14/recycling-jobs-england [Accessed 3rd February 2011].
2
45. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). (2008). Global Trends in Sustainable Energy Investment 2008: Analysis of Trends
and Issues in the Financing of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency [online] Available from: http://www.unep.fr/energy/informa-
tion/publications/details.asp?id=DTI/1066/PA [Accessed 15th February 2011]
46. Greenpeace and European Renewable Energy Council (EREC). (2009). Working for the Climate - Renewable Energy and the Green
Job [R]evolution [online] Available from: http://www.greenpeace.org/belgium/fr/presse/rapports/working-for-the-climate/ [Accessed
15th February 2011].
83
Notes:
84
Notes:
84
MODULE 3
Trade Union Action On Climate Change
85
The complex problem of climate change is characterized by a wide range of components, which
have to be approached from different angles. Trade unions need to analyze as many of its facets
as possible and look at the different courses of action which are available to them.
As we have seen in previous sections of this guide, climate change will have significant impacts
on the structure of economies, settlement patterns, livelihoods and employment. These impacts
will be driven by three processes1:
n Changes in the climate, which have already started to cause significant suffering;
n Adaptation to these changes in an effort to “limit the suffering”; and
n Mitigation, i.e. measures to reduce emissions in order to “avoid the unmanageable”.
The combination of these processes leads to an enormous transition in our modes of production
and consumption. In this guide we will address what the role of trade unions should be during
this unique transition: What can workers and their organisations do? What actions can trade
unions take? What can their specific contributions be? What are they already doing?
Adequate management of this transition process can be achieved through a combination of

different elements. One is the attitude and policies of governments and institutions, which
need to take into account the social and labour-related dimensions of the transition to a sustain-
able development path for the former to be just. The Trade Union movement will have to come
up with new proposals, educate and train its members on climate change, and transform itself
into a force that is truly committed to sustainable development. Another element needed is the
extension of labour rights to the whole labour force and their broadening to incorporate
the environmental dimension. Finally, new channels of participation have to be created to
incorporate workers and their representatives, trade unions, businesses and institutions, at all
levels from the workplaces to the international arena.
Trade unions have the obligation, more than any other actors, to fight for decent jobs, to eradi-
cate poverty and to implement just transitions. They are responsible for incorporating justice
and equity to the processes of climate change adaptation and mitigation. It is an important role
that trade unions need to fulfil on their own or in partnership with other social actors. Either
way, it has to be their main objective.
• Unit 1: Trade unions actions at the international and regional levels.

• Unit 2: Principles behind the Just Transition framework and examples.
• Unit 3: Examples of trade union action on climate change in the workplace and by sector.
86
MODULE
Module objectives
Module aims:
n Raising awareness on the need for a just transition to a
climate-friendly economy and providing tools to achieve it;
n Reviewing possible trade union interventions on climate
change;
n Providing information on existing trade union action, from
the international to the workplace level, including climate
change education for workers.
Learning outcomes:
n The basic rights and mechanisms that will lead to a just
transition;
n Practical ways for trade unions to promote climate change
mitigation and adaptation strategies, in a variety of sectors
and at different levels;
87
Unit 1: BUILDING A GLOBAL MOVEMENT.

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCES
Workers and trade unions all over the world are conscious of the fact that current patterns of
production and consumption are not sustainable, that resources are limited and that current
energy models are harmful to the environment. Trade unions at the sectoral, regional and
international level are now involved in sustainable development debates and are acting to
develop solutions, especially in the workplace.
In December 2007, the ITUC decided to prioritise climate change as its fundamental line of
action in the environmental agenda. In the words of Guy Ryder, general secretary of the ITUC
from 2006 to 2010:
“The trade union programme on climate change has developed at the same rate at which the
issue has become increasingly important. The process has not always been easy. It started as
a minor concern, easily ignored by the majority of the trade union movement and became the
object of defensive scepticism which led to the trade unions’ refusal to ratify the 1997 Kyoto
Protocol, thinking that they would have to choose between protecting the environment and
protecting their members’ jobs”.
However, the context explained above led to a radical change. “It is testament to the way in
which scientific evidence and personal experience as regards the reality of climate change, as
well as the recognition of the dramatic and potentially catastrophic consequences resulting
from measures not being taken in this regard, have radically transformed the political agenda,
that this issue now appears among the main priorities of the ITUC.”2
The Trade Union position with regard to the climate change debate has clearly progressed with
time and national and international trade union bodies have increased their involvement in
this critical issue. This commitment has made it possible for trade unions to voice a core set of
relevant policy demands. However, the difficulty to reach a common position or, once one has
been reached, to advance common views for its implementation should not be brushed aside.
Moreover, the international trade union movement is a heterogeneous one. Trade Unions
across the world represent workers from different economic sectors, with different educational
backgrounds and from countries with diverse social, economic and political contexts. They are
also old institutions with a variety of historical and cultural backgrounds. These characteristics
contribute to the complexity of trade union negotiations, particularly in the case of issues of a
global nature such as climate change.
However, this heterogeneity is also a source of strength. While agreements have been difficult
to reach - and many others are still under discussion (on countries’ emission reduction
88
Unit 1: Building a global movement. International and regional experiences
commitments; on North-South responsibilities, among others) - worker solidarity prevails. This

is an essential and unique message brought by trade unions in the international arena: ambitious
agreements are possible if discussions are based on principles of equity and solidarity.
MODULE
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the Trade Union Advisory
Committee to the OECD (TUAC) participated, from its inception, in the negotiations dealing
with the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol. They highlighted the need to obtain workers’
support in order to reach a global consensus on prevention of climate change. Any fundamental
modification to the energetic model, with the aim of rendering it more sustainable, implies
important changes for employment, qualifications, and lifestyles, and also for companies.
Additionally, if nothing is done to fight global warming, employment in developing countries
will be hard hit. These two examples illustrate reasons why trade unions should increase
pressure in global negotiation processes and ensure these tackle the impacts of global warming
on society and employment, as well as those derived from emissions reduction measures.
From the trade unions’ side, the fight against climate change has to be accompanied by good
quality and well paid new jobs, which can help reduce poverty and raise the quality of life of
the world’s growing population. This will also help to ensure further access of poor people to
energy services. In this regard, ILO’s programme on Decent Work is a tool for trade unions to
help eradicate poverty and accomplish the UN Millennium Development goals.
As a result of their efforts, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the Trade
Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC) won support from countries to include
among the future activities of the Convention, the evaluation of social impacts of climate
change adaptation and won references to Just Transition, decent work and workers’ rights in
the Cancun international climate change agreements.
Trade union mobilisation in the international climate change agenda increased significantly
at the Bali summit (Dec. 2007), and it was at this meeting where the trade unionists gained
their status as an observer organisation at the United Nations Convention. 75 trade unionists
attended this meeting, representing 60 world organisations from 22 countries. It was the last
3
successful meeting of the convention, at which it was believed that the groundwork for the
future Copenhagen Agreement had been laid down.
From that year onwards it could be said that the trade union organisations became increasingly
important among the observers of the climate convention, eventually becoming major players in
Copenhagen and Cancun. Over the years, trade unions managed to achieve a regionally-balanced
representation thanks to ITUC affiliates and Sustainlabour. In Cancun, usually under-represented
regions such as Latin America, Africa, Asia and Pacific, accounted for 57% of the delegation.
Nevertheless, some short-comings still need to be addressed:
n There should be greater participation of women trade unionists as well as a better integration
of gender analysis in relation to climate change
n It would be very useful for trade unions to develop a position on post Kyoto commitments.
89
Trade Union participation UNFCCC processes

450
400 397
350
Number of trade unionists
300
250
200
173
150
91
100
57 84
31 32
50 21
9 4
0
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
COP Meeting
International climate negotiations concur with the organisation of the World of Work Pavilion, days
of training, conferences and knowledge-sharing during which trade unions can learn about each
other’s experiences and bring back home ideas for action and mobilisation on climate change.
90
Unit 1: Building a global movement. International and regional experiences
Box 3.1. Strengthening Trade union participation in international

environmental processes: a joint UNEP – Sustainlabour Programme
MODULE
UNEP and the International Labour Foundation for Sustainable Development
(Sustainlabour), in partnership with the International Trade Union Confederation
(ITUC), and its affiliates, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the World
Health Organization (WHO) worked together on a 3-year project (2007-2010) on
“Strengthening trade union participation in international environmental processes”
with the financial support of the Government of Spain.
The program focuses on two areas: Sound and Sustainable Chemical Management
and Climate Change. In this particular area, the project focuses on:
1. Increasing participation of workers and trade unions in international environmental

consultations through:
n Capacity building, in particular on climate change mitigation and adaptation, and

the need for alternative methods of production and just transition;
n Sponsoring the participation of trade unionists at the Conference of the Parties of

the United Framework Convention on Climate Change and related meetings.
2. Strengthening the capacities of workers and trade unions to replicate/adapt case

studies on climate change in their workplaces and their communities; and
3. Undertaking research on green jobs and renewable energy for development.
4. B
uilding the awareness of climate change issues among workers and trade unions
through mobilisation, outreach and communication.
3
The four key regions of the programme are Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean,
Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe and Central Asia. 202 trade union organisations from
90 countries were concerned by the programme and received training to build their
capacity, spaces to build regional approaches and positions, funds to participate in
climate change meetings or assistance to initiate actions on climate change.
The guide you have in your hands or on your screens is one of the results of this program.
91
Key ideas of unit 1
n Trade Unions have participated in Climate Change

negotiations from their inception and lead by ITUC in 2007
developed a global comprehensive position.
n They highlighted the need to involve workers in climate

change decision-making, to establish just transitions and to
protect the most vulnerable from the necessary changes to
be undertaken in the world of work.
n Trade Union awareness and participation in climate change

international debates have risen, as well as trade union
capacity to get involved in the debates. Just Transition is now
part of the Cancun international climate agreements (2010).
92
Unit 2: Principles for union action: a just transition
Unit 2: PRINCIPLES FOR UNION ACTION:

A JUST TRANSITION
MODULE
Workers’ organizations have principles, theories and policies to achieve a more equitable
society. Trade unions can play a very important role in the changes we are facing. This section
explores some of the principles that guide trade union action in their approach to climate
change challenges and some examples of those already implemented.
This polices and actions are integrated in the concept Just Transition: The policy framework
designed to ensure that on the path towards low-carbon and resilient development/growth,
workers are given improved opportunities and do not suffer the consequences of problems they
are not responsible for.
It includes:
n Sound investments to develop long-term, sustainable and low-emission economic sectors

which create decent work.
n Social dialogue and democratic consultation of social partners and stakeholders.
n Training and skills development.
n Research and early assessment of social and employment impacts.
n Social protection.
n Local economic diversification plans .
Solidarity, Equity, Just Transition:
3
putting the most vulnerable first
The impacts of climate change will be felt by the poorest first as they are the more vulnerable
to its physical and socio-economic impacts. First of all, the majority of developing countries
are in tropical and sub-tropical regions, areas which will be seriously affected by the impacts of
climate change. Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Small Island States have all been identified
as regions of concern.
Secondly, developing countries are often less able to cope with adverse climate impacts.
Poverty exacerbates, and is exacerbated by, the impacts of environmental changes. The
livelihoods of people living in these countries are highly dependent upon climate-sensitive
resources, with low adaptive capacity. In addition, the poorest inhabitants already struggle to
cope with current extreme weather events and climate variability.
Current international cooperation is clearly insufficient given the size of the problems
facing developing countries. As a global problem, climate change requires the international
community to prioritize global solidarity.
Along with this important, international, factor, we must also take into account national and
local differences in terms of vulnerability. In every country of the world, those most at risk
will be the poorest, and the weakest, who are already the least able to adapt to changes in the
modes of production.
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Unions must call on governments and society to exercise solidarity with the most
impacted and workers should exercise solidarity among themselves. International
solidarity must be strengthened, and include aid for emergencies and disasters,
funds for quick adaptation programs and strong mitigation measures. Any delays
in mitigation will bring even greater suffering to the most vulnerable people.
Yet, unions also need to look at themselves, and face up to issues of internal solidarity such as
when their workers are affected by mitigation measures and changes in the production system.
Lastly, climate change, like other environmental issues, bears another important dimension:
intergenerational solidarity. Human beings currently living and working should behave in
solidarity with future generations not born yet.
Faced with all those challenges, trade unions have united behind a concept: Just Transition
which centres around five axes: social dialogue, social protection, training, investments,
research and economic diversification3.
Social Dialogue
Adjustment and transition to a sustainable, low-carbon and resource efficient future will require
fundamental social changes, notably in our production and consumption patterns at the national,
community and individual levels. Climate change represents a threat for societies but the policies
aimed at combating it can provide a unique opportunity to improve the lives, livelihoods and
rights of the most vulnerable people and communities, to achieve social progress for all and to
transform our current socially, economically and environmentally unsustainable system.
Changes of such a magnitude can not happen in democratically deficient institutions or without
sufficient capacity. The identification of the best options, those most efficient and appropriate,
and their implementation will require the informed and capable participation of the affected
populations. As part of the Just Transition framework, a certain number of policies are vital to
successfully achieve this transformation: institutional capacity building, democratic and non
discriminatory planning, enhancement of the capacity to act collectively, social dialogue and
informed participation of all groups, transparency and social accountability.
A key lesson that emerged from the literature on climate change adaptation is that ‘governance
matters’. Climate change and other environmental problems give rise to formidable governance
challenges at the global, national, and local levels. The management of such an important
transition must be agreed upon by the maximum consensus and in a participative manner in
order to guarantee that objectives are set, in production, consumption, organization, urban
planning, and that they are taken on and implemented by the ultimate actors of change.
The most adequate technology to be massively used will be the one that takes into account the
capacities and knowledge of its users, and their experience in the local context. Crop adaptation
that guarantees food security will have to take into consideration the necessities and cultural
habits of local farmers. Forests cannot be managed in a sustainable manner without taking into
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account the necessities of indigenous communities or of the communities living in them. The
environmental crisis will test our capacities to act collectively, and to pass this test, democratic
and participatory institutions will have to be created or strengthened.
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Finding these ways, while proposing adequate instruments and processes, is one of the State
and social agents´ objectives. Bipartite, tripartite, and multistakeholder channels are key.
n New rights for workers: Improving the environment through action in the workplace
Workplaces need to be better prepared to allow workers and their organisations to contribute to
the fight against climate change. Workplaces can be environmentally-friendly by, for example,
giving more rights to workers to participate in processes that have environmental consequences.
Workers’ participation in this regard will not only translate into stronger support for mitigation
efforts, but also in the better application of adaptation measures, including disaster relief.
However, the following preconditions are required to make this possible:
1. Right to participate : Workers have the right to participate in decision-making

processes related to environmental concerns in their workplace. They may exercise
this right through the joint health and safety committee or workplace safety and health
representatives, or through new environmental committees.
The occupational safety delegate elected by workers in industries has been an

extraordinary tool for defending workers’ health and safety, and contributing to a
healthy working environment. These delegates may also work on environmental
matters but do not do so in general, as they lack specific entitlement to take action on
environmental issues.
3
If environmental delegates’ mandates and powers were extended, or if these delegates
were elected in larger enterprises (or in enterprises with greater environmental impact),
workplaces would undertake more widespread environmentally-friendly activities.
At present such a right is not envisaged in national legislations, although it is gradually
recognised in some large enterprises, as well as in sectoral collective agreements and
voluntary regional accords.
Box 3.2. Bipartite social dialogue in the construction sector, Argentina
In Argentina, representative of construction workers and Safety Bipartite Commissions

have environmental functions. They are recognized together with occupational health
and safety ones in their collective agreement, guaranteeing workplaces environmental
conditions and compliance with environmental norms.
2. Right-to-know: Workers have the right to be aware of environmental hazards present

in the workplace. These hazards can be identified and evaluated, and information
concerning them must be communicated to employers and employees through
labelling, material safety data sheets and employee training. This standard currently
applies to chemical manufacturers or importers of chemicals (see Sustainlabour and
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UNEP Training Manual for Trade Unions on sound and sustainable management of
chemicals4), and now needs to be expanded to include climate change-related issues,
i.e. the right to know about workplace emissions, technological choices, plans for
energy saving, use and efficiency.
3. Whistleblower protection: A worker may not be held liable or be disciplined for reporting
workplace practices that he/she honestly believes may pose an environmental risk.
4. Right to refuse dangerous work: A worker may not be held liable or be disciplined
for refusing to perform work that he/she honestly believes may pose an immediate or
serious threat to his/her or other workers’ health.
5. Right to refuse work which harms the environment: A worker may not be held liable
or be disciplined for refusing to do work that he/she honestly believes may pose an
immediate or serious threat to the environment.
Currently there are few national legislative frameworks that enable worker participation in
environmental matters. In general, there is a lack of willingness from employers to support
the participation of workers and their representatives beyond those established by labor
laws, so developments in these frameworks could be critical. Nonetheless, progress is
happening at the sectoral level.
Box 3.3. Environmental representative in the chemicals industry, Spain
In Spain, within the agreement of the chemical industry, a new type of trade union
position was created: the environmental rep. This representative is endowed with the
following functions:
n Collaborate with companies’ management to improve environmental action.

n Promote and encourage the cooperation of employees to comply with environmental
regulations.
n Exercise follow-up work on the implementation of environmental legislation as well
as the policies and objectives that the company might establish on environmental
issues.
n Collaborate in the design and development of training related to the company’s
environmental obligations.
The environmental delegates are advised by the Institute of Occupational Health and
Environment, ISTAS of CCOO.
There is a higher level of variety though at the company level. In many companies, especially
those who carry out the most polluting activities, collective agreements have introduced
environmental clauses.
For multinational corporations, within the International Framework Agreements (IFAs) signed
between these companies and the Global Union Federations, there are a large proportion of
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clauses on sustainable development and environment (for example, 30.5% of IFAs signed until
2009 include specific environmental clauses). These clauses seek to homogenize environmental
standards for workplaces from different countries, but also to recognize the participation of
workers in monitoring the objectives set5.
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It could also be interesting to focus on how to integrate workers participation in voluntary
instruments implemented by companies to ensure voluntary agreements are enforced and
include both environmental and social issues.
As explained above, these spaces of dialogue and negotiation are likely to grow and
multiply in the near future with the increasing importance of environmental management for
sustainable jobs and businesses.
n Tripartite social dialogue

Successful social dialogue structures and processes have the potential to resolve important
economic and social issues, encourage good governance, advance social and industrial peace
and stability, and boost economic progress. Climate change will need industries and energy
production to undergo restructuring, and the dialogue table could be the best space to propose
measures that fight climate change and anticipate its negative effects.
Box 3.4.: Spanish tripartite social dialogue experience to “smooth”

the transition
In 2005, in Spain, when the National emissions rights Allocation Plan (PNA, in Spanish)
was approved to comply with the Kyoto Protocol, the country’s unions called for the
3
creation of tripartite social dialogue mechanisms to monitor the implementation of
the PNA and to evaluate its possible effects on employment and competitiveness
on the sectors included in the National Plan. The social dialogue roundtables were
established to fulfil and guarantee compatibility between the objective of emissions
reductions and social cohesion and economic development.
In 2006 a National Social Dialogue Table and seven Sectoral Tables – one for each
of the affected sectors were created. Another sectoral roundtable was added a year
later, in 2007, for the diffuse emissions sector.
An ILO study found that each party had a positive assessment of the Tables. They
built knowledge, dialogue and mutual trust among parties who got a better grasp of
the challenges ahead. This minimizes the risks of conflict and allows for the drafting
by consensus of proposals for solutions. The actors involved have identified various
concrete advancements over the three years that the Tables have been operational,
such as the elaboration of specific indicators and the creation of a Table for Non-
industrial Sectors, among others.
The ILO study also concludes that this case could easily be reproduced in countries
where a culture that favours social dialogue exists and where institutions function well
in order to be able to follow this type of process. Furthermore, it can serve as a model
that is applied to other geographical contexts and other aspects of climate change
such as adaptation, guaranteeing through these types of mechanisms measures´
social and labour adequacy6.
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Box 3.5. National Tripartite Environmental Forum, Brazil
In Brazil, the Ministry of the Environment and one of the biggest national trade union
confederations (Central Unica dos Trabalhadores - CUT) signed an agreement which
provides trade unions with the power to participate on all levels when it comes to the
environmental policies of enterprises through Internal Commissions. The agreement
establishes the creation of a National Tripartite Environmental Forum to discuss the
operational norms to guarantee unions’ participation in environmental licensing processes
and in the audit of company compliance with environmental norms, among other powers.
N.B: The agreement was signed in August 2009. To date, the Forum has not been created yet.
n Multi-stakeholder social dialogue

There are numerous political actors on environmental issues. In some countries, governmental
authorities have tried to include all environmental political actors in discussions on climate
change policies, not only trade unions or employers but also Non Governmental Organisations
and local authorities for instance. While those experiences are extremely valuable, they
should not replace but complement traditional social dialogue experiences. Work between
civil society actors and trade unions on environmental issues is always valuable as they can
influence each other’s agenda, greening the labour movement and bringing labour fights into
the environmentalists agendas.
Box 3.6. The Grenelle de l’Environnement, France
Trade unions, environmental NGOs, local authorities and governmental bodies

discussed and drafted environmental policies to reduce France’s environmental and
carbon footprint.
The result of this multi-stakeholder social dialogue experience was that more social
aspects were included in NGOs positions and trade unions gained valuable knowledge
and influence on environmental issues. The Grenelle mobilised public opinion and
raised citizens` interest in and awareness of environmental issues. It was a ‘positive
conflict’ which enabled civil society actors to learn how to work together and to find
consensus and common ground with governmental representatives7.
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Social protection
Access to an adequate level of social protection is recognised as a basic right of all individuals
in the Philadelphia Declaration 8, in subsequent ILO declarations and in a number of
International labour standards. It is also widely considered to be instrumental in promoting
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human welfare and social consensus on a broad scale, and to be conducive to and indispensable
for social peace and thus improved economic growth and performance. Yet, in many countries,
especially developing ones, reality falls far short of these ideals.
Social protection is the tool modern societies have developed to deal with the
vulnerability of some sectors of their population.
Social protection systems must run in parallel to adaptation efforts as they can diminish
vulnerability to climate change and, strengthen existing social security systems, especially in
developing countries.
In many poor countries, the main issue is the very low coverage in terms of social security
systems. Indeed, conventional systems of social security apply to less than 20% of the labour
force in most developing countries, and to less than 10% in much of sub-Saharan Africa9.
As stated in ILO’s Decent Work agenda, social protection should adapt to deal
with contemporary circumstances, and climate change is without doubt an
important one among these.
Training the workforce: understanding the change and

building capacities for adaptation
3
n Union capacity to manage the challenge
Trade unions in some countries, especially in low and middle income countries, lack the
capacity to manage the transition to a low-carbon economy due to a lack of awareness and
training on climate change issues. Trade unions need to understand the changes ahead and to
build their own capacity as political and social actors able to bring about change.
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Box 3.7. Sustainlabour training programs on climate change
Sustainlabour, the International Labour Foundation for Sustainable Development,

is committed to strengthening the capacities of trade union organisations from the
South. It has elaborated training programs, materials and organised many conferences
on Labour and Environment. It has also strengthened the structures and provision of
technical assistance to trade unions in many regions of the world. Training is always
done in an interactive way, with a collaborative approach to make sure the training is
relevant to developing countries trade union priorities.
One example of training programme was the Latin American seminar on Climate
Change and Clean Development Mechanisms (CDMs) which Sustainlabour organised
with the Latin American Regional Trade Union Organization in December 2004.
There were three sessions on climate change, social participation in environmental
policies and participation on Clean Development Mechanisms.
The effects of flexible mechanisms such as CDM on employment should be monitored.

Workers’participation and cooperation can make the agreements fairer and more transparent.
The seminar provided the tools for unionists to understand the Kyoto policies and measures
in order to facilitate their participation as actors on sustainable development.
Particular attention was given to the inclusion and follow up of social criteria in
CDM projects, workers’ participation to ensure the sustainability of the projects
and development of standards to distinguish project that really promote a more
sustainable development.
n Skills
In a rapidly changing environment, ensuring that people who work possess the necessary
knowledge and skills is critical if we want to optimise the opportunities while at the same time
reducing the undesired consequences.
If climate change is going to transform our world as fast as experts foresee, and potentially
adversely affecting workers, then they and their representatives have to be prepared. Indeed,
they have to understand the nature of these changes and how they will affect production
systems, occupations and livelihoods to learn skills specific to their current jobs that will help
them fill new occupations that are more sustainable and climate friendly.
In order to address this important transition, resources for occupational training need to be
made available, and specific funds for building new capacities must be mainstreamed in all
mitigation and adaptation policies. Retraining needs are especially important in the following
sectors, according to the ILO:
n Agriculture, forestry and fisheries;

n Extracting industries and fossil-fuel energy generation;
n Emissions intensive manufacturing, in particular the automotive sector and related supply
chains and ship-building and related marine engineering activities10.
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Indeed, skills shortages already pose a major barrier to transitions to green economies and
green job creation. Skills shortages are generally due to:
n Underestimated growth of some sectors, such as for green technologies.
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n General lack of scientists and engineers.
n National skill structure which does not meet skills demand.
n Low reputation of sectors.
Trade unions can estimate the growth of certain sectors and have a proactive approach by
training their (un)employed members to gain new skills and better working conditions or to find
a new job. Trade unions can also work with the government and employers to demand green
national skill structures adapted to current and future needs (see Boxes below). Ultimately,
according to the ILO, the success of green skills measures depends on policy coherence,
targeted measures and the collaboration of various actors at different levels.
A low carbon economy will create new occupations and change current occupations
qualitatively and quantitatively. For instance, a farmer will need on-the-job learning or short
training courses to become an organic farmer. The level of skill change will be higher for a
car mechanic to learn to fix electric cars. Short courses or longer continuous training will be
essential in this case. Examples of new occupations include solar energy technician or eco-
designer. Emerging occupations often require a high level of qualifications whilst changes in
existing occupations often happen at a low and medium skills level11.
Box 3.8: Trade Union Training Program, Argentina
3
UOCRA, the Argentinean Building Workers Union, offers the following training programs
for its members to become installers of renewable energy technologies such as bio
digesters to obtain gas, solar water heating systems, solar electricity systems and wind
energy systems. Depending on local specificities, the courses have varying formats. At
the end of the course, participants take a test and can gain trade unions certificates of
accreditation as installers.
Box 3.9: Green Jobs Act, the United States of America
A bill was proposed in 2007 to establish an energy efficiency and renewable energy
worker training program that targets certain persons (including individuals in need
of updated training, unemployed workers, and at-risk youth). The law specified that
educational institutions could only receive grants if they built a “non-profit partnership
that includes the equal participation of industry, including public or private employers,
and labor organizations”. Unfortunately, the bill never became law. Nonetheless, it
provides an example of the kind of laws that trade unions could support and help
drafting and implementing12.
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Investments
Climate-friendly investments are positive in terms of employment creation. However, without
a massive and quick shift in investments towards these sectors, these employment opportunities
will be lost. Green investments can provide employment to workers from declining sectors or
young workers who have not entered the labour market yet.
Those investments can come from internal sources (reform of tax policies, etc), from creating
enabling environments (quality and resilient public services, regulations, etc) or external
sources (financial transactions tax, climate funds for vulnerable income countries, etc).
Box 3.10: Global Unions Committee on Workers’ Capital
The Committee is an international labour union network for dialogue and action on the
responsible investment of workers’ capital. It works to ensure that workers retirement
savings are invested in companies which respect human and labour rights, remain
financially sustainable and minimise adverse impacts on the environment. With
SHARE, it is promoting shareholder activism on environmental issues such as the
campaign against tar sands in Canada.
For more information, you can visit the Committee’s website here.
http://workerscapital.org/
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Box 3.11: USA: Unions invest in making America more energy-efficient
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US unions have a major plan to invest workers’ pension funds in the promotion of large-
scale investments in America’s infrastructure. The aim is to create good jobs, address
the US public infrastructure deficit, reduce environmental threats and use energy in a
more sustainable manner.
A broad coalition chaired by the American Federation of Teachers, and including
SEIU, AFSCME, National Education Association (NEA), Fire Fighters (IAFF), the AFL-
CIO Building and Construction Trades Department (BCTD), will work together with a
variety of parties, including pension funds and their managers, training funds, federal,
state and local governments, contractors, financial institutions and non-profits in three
main areas of approach:
1. Support Investment in Public Infrastructure with a goal of at least $10 billion in new
funding over the next 5 years.
2. Facilitate Investment in Particular Projects by Existing Funds: At least $20 million in

labor movement affiliated funds invested in energy-efficient retrofits of commercial,
industrial, institutional and public buildings over the next 12 months. Taking a first
step, the AFL-CIO is immediately planning to conduct an energy-efficient retrofit of
its headquarters in Washington, DC.
3. Expand Worker Training: Train 40,000 new apprentices in specialty welding and other
new green technologies required in 21st century construction, and provide skill upgrades
and certifications for 100,000 mid-career construction workers over the next year13.
Research
It is crucial for trade unions to better anticipate the changes ahead, to have a proactive approach
3
and solid positions at negotiating tables. Consultation will not be sufficient if it is not based on
relevant and independent studies assessing the impacts of various mitigation and adaptation
scenarios on production and labour. Policies need to be assessed before their design and after
their implementation. Feedback on successes or failures improves general policy-making and
ensures the transition is just.
Box 3.12. ETUC study on climate change and employment
The study was carried out by a consortium led by the European Trade Union
Confederation (ETUC) and the Social Development Agency (SDA), which includes
Syndex, the Wuppertal Institute and ISTAS.
The study found out that the EU’s transition to a ‘green’ economy will create jobs,
especially in the renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors. However, certain
policies are required to ensure those jobs are decent and sustainable: government
support for research and development in green technologies, social dialogue
mechanisms and public funds to review training programs content, support job
transformations and encourage professional redeployments. Funds could be raised
through the Financial Transactions Tax14.
The ETUC study can be downloaded at the following link:

http://www.etuc.org/a/3676
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Diversification
Some sectors, some farms, offices and factories will be negatively affected by climate change and
by mitigation and adaptation policies. People do not need to migrate when those changes happen.
They should not have to go through painful moments of joblessness or loss of regional economic
activity and its consequent loss of cultural and social life. This can be avoided if regions, cities
and municipalities adopt economic diversification plans as soon as possible. This will ensure that
there are different income opportunities for workers and if one sector or one place is affected,
people can quickly find reliable and adequate alternative to rely on for their livelihoods.
Key ideas of unit 2
Trade Unions advance the importance of solidarity, equity

and Just Transition when dealing with climate change.
A just transition has to encompass the following aspects:

n Make green opportunities real: Major investments are
needed to develop long-term sustainable industrial policies,
aimed at retaining and creating decent and “green”/
sustainable jobs, “greening” all workplaces and developing
and deploying technology.
n A sound starting point: Research and early assessment
of social and employment impacts are crucial for better
preparing change.
n Dialogue: Governments have to consult with and encourage
institutionalized formal involvement of trade unions,
employers, communities, and all groups which need to be part
of the transformation. Consultation and respect for human
and labour rights form the baseline conditions in order to
ensure a smooth and effective transition towards a sustainable
society.
n Worker training: Changes on the ground require workers to
be trained in clean processes and technologies; this is key for
absorbing and developing new technologies and for realising
the potential of green investments.
n Social protection: Vulnerability may be a source of reluctance
to support change. Social protection schemes, including
active labour market policies (social security including social
insurance and public employment guarantee schemes, job
creating public works programmes for the unemployed and
working poor, income maintenance, and job placement
services, among others) are key for ensuring justice in the
transition.
n One size does not fit all: Each region and community at risk
requires its economic diversification plan.
Unions can play a major role in fighting climate change

if new rights are established to allow them dealing with
environmental issues, and with adequate provisions for
training the workforce on these issues.
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Unit 3: Trade union action by sector and in the workplace
Unit 3: TRADE UNION ACTION BY SECTOR

AND IN THE WORKPLACE
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The workplace is the area where labour relations are happening. It is the proper and authentic
framework for trade union action. It is also where health risks occur and where activities that
might impact the neighbouring environment are carried out. Controlling the greenhouse gases
emissions of businesses’ activities is not contrary to workers’ interests. If a business acts in an
environmentally irresponsible manner, workers may lose their jobs as well as their right to live
and work in a healthy environment.
The biggest challenge for trade unions is at the enterprise level. To influence the way their
company or organisation affects their workplaces, lives, surrounding communities and
environment, the freedom of association of workers and their right to bargain collectively
are fundamental. When these preconditions are met, trade unions and employers can improve
working conditions and the environment. They can develop purchasing and recycling policies
to protect the environment, favour low-energy lighting, low fuel-consuming vehicles,
biodegradable cleaning materials, wood from environmentally well-managed forests, recycled
paper, the elimination of excessive packaging, and so on15 .
Since workplaces consume energy and other resources and generate waste, it is crucial to set
clear workplace targets for energy efficiency and waste minimization and link them to sectoral
and national carbon and waste reduction strategies. Since three-quarters of all greenhouse gases
come from manufacturing, energy production or supply, transport and construction, workplace
3
actions could be key to promote change in these sectors. Sustainable mobility, such as home-
workplaces (in itinere) or ‘in mission’ mobility plans provide good examples of cooperative
and successful worker-employer initiatives.
In the last decade, all development partners have also acknowledged that workers and trade
unions have a key role to play in efforts to make companies, jobs and working conditions
more environmentally and economically sustainable. Their knowledge and collective
bargaining power are essential if the needed changes are to be made in time. Thus governments,
businesses, civil society at large and labour are natural allies in the search for more sustainable
development options.
With over 200 years of experience in protecting workers’ rights, trade unions can make the
environment a focus of collective bargaining, advocate more sensitive methods of using
natural resources, and promote benefit-sharing and access to information, and social and
environmental justice. Environmentalists, in cooperation with workers, have a critical role to
play in increasing awareness of environmental challenges and helping build workers’ capacity
to implement relevant provisions of environmental conventions, legislation and policies.
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Box 3.13. Trade Union Congress (TUC), United Kingdom (UK): Greening
the workplace
In 2006, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) launched the GreenWorkplaces Project to build
trade union and workers’ capacity to tackle energy and climate change issues at work.
The TUC’s GreenWorkplaces project has demonstrated the effectiveness of trade
union engagement in climate change projects with employers.
Projects have demonstrated:

n Enthusiasm to set up joint green workplace projects, on the part of both employees
and management;
n Real reductions in energy use via behaviour change;
n Evidence from employee surveys that staff are well aware of the key areas where
major carbon savings are possible, with heating and lighting most frequently
identified as areas for improvement; and
n Importance of employee engagement in securing real changes at work.
One example is the National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh. Unionised staff agreed
with the senior management team to create a workers’ sustainability steering group.
Its representative was granted reasonable time off for his duties.
Successes so far include:
n Introduction of a bike-to-work scheme with 10% of the workforce now cycling, onsite
visits by ‘The Bike Doctor’ and green travel advisors;
n A comprehensive recycling scheme, incorporating 18 different waste streams;
n Online access for all staff to see hourly energy consumption on a building by building basis.
The next campaign focuses on behavioural change with the launch of an ‘I’m Switching
Off’ campaign, a green suggestions staff email address, environmental newsletters and
the introduction of energy efficient lighting. Meetings have also taken place between union
members in other workplaces in Edinburgh to help them get green ideas off the ground16.
In the following sections you will find some proposals for action by sector and some
examples of union actions that have already been implemented.
Trade Union action on Energy
Enterprise level
n Demand for recognition for workplace environmental representatives.

n Training and participation in enterprise energy management.
n Training and participation in enterprise energy saving diagnosis or energy auditing.
n Promotion of energy saving measures such as improved lighting, refrigeration, heating
and thermal insulation.
n Training to use the new and more efficient equipments and systems.
n Promotion of renewable energies inside the enterprise (thermal solar for low and medium
temperature heating, photovoltaic for electricity, biomass for electricity and heating, and
bioclimatic construction for new buildings).
n Participation in sustainable purchasing policies.
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Sectoral level
n Demand for recognition of environmental delegates at sectoral level.
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n Demand for sectoral social dialogue tables.
National level
n Participation in national energy planning: demand for increased investment in

renewables, energy efficiency and improved supply management.
n Demand for integrated transportation systems.
n Participation in demand-side management programmes for the benefit of consumers.
n Promotion of green and socially fair fiscal measures.
n Best practices/ Case studies

In the last few years, unions have made interesting proposals to reduce emissions to mitigate
climate change while simultaneously using the opportunity to propose fairer energy policies
that create more and better jobs.
Below are two examples of trade unions promoting the use of renewable energy. One
programme has been implemented by a women’s trade union in India. It is crucial to encourage
women to be employed, recruited, trained, paid equitably and organized in green sectors such
as renewable energy. A recent study has found that without adequate policies, women could be
discriminated out of green sectors17.
Box 3.14. SEWA, India – Women promoting renewable energy
The Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) is a trade union of poor, self-
3
employed women workers. It has a Programme on Renewable Energy. The latter
promotes the installment of gobar gas (bio-gas) plants on a community basis because
traditional burning and decomposition of cow dung by farmers emits methane and
CO2. In addition, SEWA also promotes the use of solar-powered water pumps for salt
workers and solar lantern production18.
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Of interest also are experiences of alliances with other social partners, particularly environmental
organisations. This is probably not a coincidence: Unions and environmental organisations are
contributing to a genuine participative democracy in different ways. While unions contribute with
their long fighting experience in favour of democracy and social justice, environmental organisations
contribute with a new vision of the relationship between society, nature and social change.
Box. 3.15. FNV Bondgenoten, the Netherlands: Green4sure, a green

energy plan shared by Dutch unions and environmental NGOs
The Green4sure project is an initiative of the Dutch trade unions ABVAKABO FNV and
FNV Vakcentrale, the Greenpeace Foundation, the Netherlands Society for Nature and
Environment (Stichting Natuur en Milieu), Friends of the Earth-Netherlands (Vereniging
Milieudefensie) and the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF).
Together, they published a plan entitled Green4sure listing the policies needed to
reduce Dutch CO2 emissions by 50% by 2030 (1990 baseline) and their expected
effects. Certain Green4sure recommendations were included in the Netherlands’
energy policy. The core policy of the plan is allocating carbon budgets to all energy
users, similar to the EU Emissions Trading Scheme now in force for industry. This quota
system would be supported by efficiency standards for domestic appliances, vehicles
and buildings; targets and, later, standards for the use of renewable sources by energy
suppliers; and facilitation of sustainable choices.
In allocating efforts to the respective sectors, the plan has striven for a minimisation of
costs (direct, as well as implementation costs), while at the same time remaining aware
of the need to support consumers and industry as well as their capacity for action.
Green4sure has the potential to create 100,000 jobs by 2030, notably for low-skilled
workers. Two key measures can mitigate climate change and create a great number of
employment opportunities: improved energy efficiency and savings and investments
in renewable energy. Other measures include investments in public transport, in railway
infrastructure and ‘green’ taxation. Green4sure mentions the need when elaborating
green policies to take into account regional differences and capacities.
Another key choice concerns differentiation between sectors. Green4sure realise

that any major changes to energy systems may have a far greater impact on energy-
intensive and internationally operating industries than on energy-extensive businesses
whose competitiveness is governed far less by energy costs.
For this reason they propose three different carbon budgets: one for industry, electrical
power generation and greenhouse horticulture, a second for the transport sector, and
a third for the built environment (households, offices and small businesses). This
differentiation aims to ensure that each sector contributes to the cuts according to its
capacity and provides scope for specific flanking policies19.
108
Trade Union action on Building/Construction
MODULE
Enterprise level
n Implementation of measures mentioned in the energy section.

n Promotion of bioclimatic architecture for new buildings: passive lighting, heating, cooling
systems, insulation.
n Promotion of the use of sustainable materials (local, recycled, non-pollutants, low
energy consumption, etc.).
Regional level
n Union participation in regional planning to demand coherent urban planning.

n Promotion of land use policies that balance interests (urban, agriculture, forest, leisure).
National level
n Promotion of sustainable construction regulations.

n Promotion of waste management in construction and demolition.
n Workers’ training in sustainable building skills.
At the national level, trade unions have worked with other civil society actors and governments
3
to promote energy efficiency in the building sector. Those policies benefit workers as they create
employment opportunities. However, trade unions need to ensure that the latter are decent and
safe. Society as large also benefits thanks to a reduction in expenses for families and the State.
109
Box 3.16. Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund (DBG), Industriegewerkschaft

Bauen-Agrar- Umwelt (IG BAU): Germany’s Alliance for Work and
Environment
German unions are collaborating within a broad coalition of government, industry and
environmental NGOs to renovate buildings to achieve mitigation goals, whilst creating
sustainable jobs and improving social conditions.
From 2001 to 2006, the Alliance for Work and Environment renovated 342,000
apartments. The renovation process included the insulation of buildings, the use of
advanced heating technologies and of renewable energies, such as photovoltaic or
solar thermal systems. It reduced Germany annual emissions attributed to buildings
by 2%, produced 25,000 full-time additional jobs and saved 116,000 jobs during a
recession in the construction sector. The jobs created and saved were in the construction,
heating, sanitary and air-conditioning sectors, as well as in building services. The
Alliance also enabled to lower heating bills for tenants and landlords and to reduce
State expenditures through a reduction of unemployment costs and increased income
taxes.
These results prompted the German government to renew the project with increased
funding20.
Box 3.17. Trade unions in Hong Kong promote Green Jobs in the
construction sector
In 2008, trade unions in Hong Kong proposed a “Green Project with More Jobs” program,
a sustainable construction policies package to create 5,000 jobs in the construction
industry. Unions suggested to renovate and to build more public housings, to ensure
affordable housing for low-income families while at the same creating jobs. In 2010, the
government spent 1,000 million Hong Kong dollars to renovate and build public housing
estates, thus creating 10,000 jobs. The government also carried out other unions’
proposed policies such as the creation of parks, the plantation of trees, the installation
of energy-saving instruments in government buildings and public houses21.
110
Trade Union action on Transportation and mobility
MODULE
Enterprise level
n Demand for sustainable mobility plans (including e.g. incentives for public transportation,
re-planning public transport around the workplace, promotion of car-sharing,
transformation of parking spaces into kindergartens or green areas, more parking space
for bicycles).
n Demand for ‘mobility managers’ in medium and large enterprises.
n When workplaces move, demand for advance sustainable mobility plans.
n For companies with a high level of transportation needs, implementation of transportation
management programs to avoid empty rides, minimization of road transport and
maximisation of railway transportation. Promotion of ‘clean cars’ for enterprise fleets.
n P romotion of travels limitations (e.g. promotion of videoconferencing and
teleconferencing).
Regional level
n Demand for regional sustainable mobility plans.

n Demand for regional mobility managers.
n In areas with high enterprise density, negotiation of adjustments in work schedules to
reduce transport overcrowding.
n Participation in regional economic and urban planning to promote mobility and demand
for short distances between workplaces and homes.
National level
n Campaigns for public transportation.

n Call for “re-skilling” programs for workers in unsustainable transportation branches.
3
Problems associated with commuting to and from the workplace are due to the urban planning
model and management in place, or to their absence. Relations between life and work are
affected by this variable. Where industries and business are, where employment is to be found,
where workers live, are key aspects that need to be addressed for sustainable development.
Access to work is crucial for social inclusion, plays a role in environmental protection and
affects economic development. In the last decades, development has followed a path where
private transportation has brought poverty and exclusion to those who could not afford it, as
well as unbearable levels of air pollution and GHG emissions.
Transportation consumes a quarter of the world’s energy, and accounts for 19% of the world’s
CO2 emissions in 2007, 80% of which can be attributed to road transport. Moreover, local and
regional air pollution, congestion in urban areas, land used for transport infrastructure and
related health effects are all crucial issues. With a growing demand for mobility in developed
and developing countries, these problems will become more and more pressing.
111
More and more unions around the world are including mobility plans in their collective
agreements, and more and more unions are demanding urban planning and public transportation
systems that respect workers and the environment.
Regular union campaigns for public transport help to reduce emissions.
Box 3.18. Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), South

Africa: Launch of the Red October Campaign
“Transport is critical for working people and the poor in this country because apartheid
made our people live so far from work.
In the cities, our townships and informal settlements were kept on the far margins.
Moreover, since the late 1980s we have seen sharp cutbacks in city bus systems and
commuter rail.
This situation has been devastating for the quality of live of working people. Many workers
and students must commute hours each day to work and back. The results are high costs
for working people and their families as well as unsafe and exhausting conditions. Moreover,
if workers cannot get to work reliably on time, they face problems with their employers.
In addition, apartheid many of our people live in remote rural areas. A third of our people
still live in the former homeland areas. They face a real transport crisis, with completely
inadequate access to towns, jobs and social services, including healthcare and policing.
The situation has been aggravated by the decision to shut down rural rail lines and by
the deterioration in many rural roads. This has undermined farm and rural processing
industries, aggravating the already high joblessness of the rural areas.
We are gathered together to back up our demands for a real public transport system.
That means, first, we want to see a qualitative expansion in municipal bus systems.
Similarly, we want a substantial increase in investment in commuter rail. That investment
must ensure more reliable and comfortable trains, and fund security for commuters.
In the long run, the transport crisis for our people can only be solved through a concerted
effort to build more working-class housing near the cities. We need to see a vast
expansion in the effort to renovate high rises in city centers. We need more medium
and high-density settlements. And we need improved provision of government services
and retail sites in black townships that are distant from the cities.
We realize that denser housing is more expensive to provide in the short run. But in
the long run it is the only way to ensure that workers do not face excessive commutes,
eating up their time and their money, and raising costs for the economy as a whole.
The improvement in public transport should also be used to boost local production
and job creation. We need to see strict guidelines on local procurement for buses, taxis
and rail. Today, imported buses and trains have begun to displace local production,
something we cannot afford when faced with over 30% unemployment”.
Source: COSATU (2007)
112
Box. 3.19. European trade unions demand strategies and guidelines on

Sustainable Mobility
MODULE
In October 2011, a comparative study22 was released on the problems related to the
mobility of workers – on how they travel from their homes to their workplaces, in 4
European countries.
Carried out by the trade unions Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) of Spain, Vlaams ABVV
of Belgium, CGIL of Italy, and ACE of Germany, the study is part of the E-COSMOS
project (European Commuters for Sustainable Mobility Strategies) on work-generated
mobility and commuting that seeks proposals to facilitate access to workplaces for
commuters through the development of new sustainable mobility models for the
better health of European workers, the environment, and the economy, conceived and
disseminated by workers, employers and government authorities.
In Europe, each year some 350 000 people die due to causes attributed to atmospheric
contamination generated by road transport. The contamination in cities also has other
effects on health, above all in relation to respiratory pathways and allergies. Transport
also consumes around 43% of primary energy in industrialized countries.
“To get to the workplace with speed, quality and security we do not need more private vehicles
on our streets and highways but rather sustainable mobility alternatives”. “Sustainable
mobility is not only beneficial for the environment and health, but it also generates
employment”. (Llorenç Serrano, the confederate secretary of environment of CCOO)
The study sets out a set of guidelines to support trade union (TU) and employers´
actions, and public authorities (PA) in favour of sustainable and safe access to
workplaces.
3
1. A platform for sustainable mobility within the trade union for building consensus,
raising awareness and entering into debate with employers (TU).
2. Invest in exchange of expertise and best practices for building a common
understanding and possible solutions (TU/PA).
3. Obligation of sustainable mobility plans in companies but with necessary support
and follow up by public administration (PA).
4. Collect facts, figures and good examples for entering the debate and for the
effective promotion of sustainable mobility among employers and employees
(TU/PA).
5. Appoint sustainable mobility coordinators at all levels in trade unions (TU).
6. Support companies in the implementation of actions (not with studies) (PA).
7. Create a fiscal and legal framework in favour of sustainable modes of transport (PA).
8. Mobility Management - the most efficient way to deal with current mobility
problems (PA).
9. Sustainable urban planning - the first step in the process of mobility management (PA).
10. Avoid labour exclusion through investment in sustainable mobility for workers (PA/TU).
Source: ISTAS and CCOO (2011)
113
Trade Union action on Agriculture
Unit level
n Training in low-emission production systems for agriculture and cattle raising (reduction
of the use of fertilizers and pesticides, more efficient irrigation systems, better
management of ruminants, best practices for rice production, etc.).
n Management of cattle waste for transformation into biogas.
n Reduction of fossil fuel consumption (tractors).
n Production of energy crops for biomass.
n Management of waste from crops and food industry to produce biomass.
n Promotion of diversification of agricultural production.
Regional/National level
n Promotion of locally produced food.

n Promotion of environmentally- and labour-friendly legislation in favour of reductions in
the use of fertilizers and pesticides.
n Promotion of incentive to support farmers’ transition toward a climate friendly
agriculture.
Box 3.20. RENGO, Japan: Promotion of locally produced food
The Japanese trade union RENGO, following the 2008 food crisis, asked the government
to reconsider its long-term agricultural policies and envisage energy- and resource-
saving measures. RENGO lobbies for greater local production of agricultural products23.
Trade Union action on Forestry
Unit level
n Combat illegal logging.

n Promotion of certification schemes.
n Local property and management rights.
Regional/National level
n Promotion of environmentally- and labour-friendly legislation in favour of a more

sustainable management of forests.
114
The promotion of certification schemes can ensure better social conditions for communities
who depend on forests for their livelihoods and the protection of forests. The fight against
illegal logging is also essential to improve the quality of jobs and create jobs as well as to
protect forests. According to Indonesian forestry unions, each cubic meter of illegal timber
MODULE
means a loss of employment for at least four workers in the production chain24.
When communities are in charge of the management of forests, they do so in a more

environmentally and socially friendly manner than profit-driven institutions. Local property and
management rights are thus key. Trade unions need to lobby governments for them to recognise
and support the rights of communities dependent on forests to manage and control them25.
Box 3.21. Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU), Kenya:

Protecting the forests and creating jobs
Kenya is suffering from an over-exploitation of its forest resources. In response to this
crisis, COTU realized the need to enhance the wood resource base to sustain raw
materials used in job creation. The trade union thus established tree nurseries, herbal
groves and bee-keeping activities to enhance income generation. It also created training
programs to improve workers’ health in the forestry sector and to develop their skills and
capacity. Furthermore, local communities, companies and workers representatives have
been involved in conservation and protection of watersheds and vital habitats26.
Trade Unions raising awareness

Education is a basic human right and an essential tool for achieving the goals of sustainable
3
development. There are several levels of education: basic education for all; vocational
training; development of skills; trade union education and leadership training; and provision
of information. The lack of access to any of these instruments will keep people unaware of the
close links between both human and work activities, and the environment.
More importantly for trade unionists, continuing trade union education and awareness raising
programs provides workers with the necessary knowledge and skills to be able to actively
participate in both the definition of environmentally sustainable policies and in bipartite and
tripartite decision-making bodies at all levels.
Unions can be impressive training structures for society as a whole, due to their broad
membership and their communication and mobilization structures. Let’s take a look at some
training experiences related to climate change.
115
Box 3.22. Sustainlabour and ITUC: The World of Work (WoW) Pavilion
The ITUC and Sustainlabour, with the financial support of affiliates, have organized
training and awareness-raising events during the Conference of the Parties of the
UNFCCC in 2009 and 2010. WoW events show trade unionists and the general public
the solutions that trade unions are advocating and implementing to fight climate
change at the workplace, local, national, regional and international levels.
Events have included themes and examples from a wide and diversified array of
countries and sectors. They are a valuable space for trade unions to share ideas,
challenges and best practices.
Box 3.23. International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), Latin

America: Seminar on Climate Change
The ITF organised in February 2011 in Argentina its first regional seminar on climate
change. It resulted in an agreement that collective action on climate change is the way
forward if transport workers’ working conditions are to be protected and improved.
Following much debate, the unionists agreed that climate change presented trade
unionists with the chance to raise members’ awareness and develop a collective
response to environmental issues.
As a result, unionists, aware of the possible conflicting interests of their members and
communities, nevertheless committed to raise awareness of climate change and to
develop viable proposals.
For more information, please visit ITF website.

http://www.itfglobal.org/news-online/index.cfm/newsdetail/5702?frmSession=EN
Trade unions have extensive campaigning knowledge and can easily include climate change
in their campaigning strategies. Campaigners and trade unionists need to be constantly trained
on climate change issues to ensure the messages are relevant and informed to build political
momentum and trust.
116
Box 3.24. Comisiones Obreras (CCOO), Spain: A video game, workers

and climate change
MODULE
In 2009, CCOO launched an interactive game entitled ‘Climate Change: It’s your turn to play!’.
It is an original experience that seeks to raise awareness and to promote public servants´
actions on the environment and climate change. Players from different sectors have to
answer questions and receive points according to their answers. The game focuses on
the sectors of the union delegates: public services; transportation (air, road, rail); paper;
telecommunications; media; post; water management; fishing and forests. The game
aims to make public servants reflect on how to introduce small changes in their personal
as well as professional settings to reduce greenhouse gases emissions27.
Box 3.25. United Transportation Union (UTU), Canada: Railway

workers commit to save one tonne.
The United Transportation Union (UTU), primarily representing railway workers from
coast to coast in Canada and the US embarked on a grassroots training initiative
following COP11/MOP1, providing Canada-wide training of facilitators in each province
on issues related to climate change.
In turn, these facilitators were expected to deliver similar training programs to a wider
trade union audience, i.e. the union membership in the workplace. The program consists
of 18 hours-instruction modules to deal with the Kyoto Protocol, climate change
planning, government and union programs and methods for engaging in union action
on climate change, guided by the slogan “The One Tonne Challenge in the Home and
the Community; The One Tonne Challenge in the Workplace”.
3
These training modules also include a focus on transitional employment provisions
that would help facilitate the introduction of changes to the industry and in workplaces.
The overall program is designed to stir people into action where the greatest needs
and opportunities are identified28.
Trade unions have also engaged in campaigns at the household level to change the behaviour of
their members inside their families and communities. The actions at the member-level can give
trade unions more political leverage at other levels: the workplace, local and national levels as it
demonstrates trade unions’ commitment and determination to protect the environment.
117
Box 3.26. RENGO, Japan: Trade union members as Eco-Lifers
In 1998, RENGO launched its ‘Eco-Life’ Campaign. RENGO works with 100 members’
families to ’green’ their lifestyles. Thanks to an electronic devise in their homes, families
can monitor their energy use. In addition, families are given a ‘Family’s Eco Manifesto’
with a series of eco-friendly actions such as local food consumption, cycling, etc.
Families enter those actions on a daily basis in their environmental diary. The diary
and the devise data are processed on the Internet and results are made visible. The
visibility of the campaign has a huge awareness-raising impact and enables real
lifestyle changes. The aim of the campaign is to make the movement national and one
of its messages is ‘Starting with what is close, starting with what you can do’.
To find out more, you can download a 2010 RENGO presentation here
http://www.ituc-csi.org/IMG/pdf/RENGO_2.pdf
Box 3.27. Australian Congress of Trade Union (ACTU), Australia: Trade

union members as eco-citizens
The member services arms of the ACTU is committed to providing working families
with low cost, high quality consumer products and investment options that reduce
their domestic environmental footprint29.
Key ideas of unit 3
n The workplace is the proper and authentic framework for

trade union action. The fight against climate change should
not be an exception to this.
n If labour rights are respected, possibilities for unions to
improve the environment through collective agreements or
joint action with employers are real.
n Examples of trade union action on climate change in the
workplace include: recycling plans, renewable energy
promotion, energy saving and efficiency policies, workers’
mobility plans, among others.
n Education is a basic human right and an essential tool for
achieving sustainable development.
n Lack of access to education means that people will continue
to be unaware of the close links between human and work
activities, and the environment.
n Unions can be impressive training structures for society
as a whole, due to their broad membership and their
communication and mobilisation structures and can work
with other civil society actors on environmental issues.
118
ENDNOTES
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[Accessed 20th September 2011]
MODULE
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September 2011].
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of Labour Research, 2 (2), 125-161. [online] Available from: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_dialogue/---actrav/
documents/publication/wcms_153352.pdf [Accessed 11th March 2011].
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Available from: www.sustainlabour.org, Resources section. [Accessed 17th January 2011].
5. Sustainlabour (2010). Occupational Health and Safety and Environmental Clauses. International Framework Agreements – A study.
[online] Available from: www.sustainlabour.org, Resources section. [Accessed 2nd February 2011].
6. Sustainlabour and International Labour Organisation (ILO). (2010). The impact of climate change on employment: management of
Transitions through social dialogue. Case study of Social Dialogue Roundtables on the effects of compliance with the Kyoto Protocol
on competitiveness, employment and social cohesion in Spain [online]. Available from: http://www.sustainlabour.org [Accessed 2nd
February 2011].
7. Verheecke, Lora. (2010). Draft study sent to the ILO on the Grenelle (France). Soon to be published soon
8. International Labour Organisation (ILO). (2008). ILO Declaration of Philadelphia. Declaration concerning the aims and purposes of
the International Labour Organisation. [online] Available from: http://www.ilocarib.org.tt/projects/cariblex/conventions_23.shtml
9. International Labour Organisation (ILO). (1999). Report of the Director-General. Decent Work. [online] Available from: http://www.
ilo.org/public/english/standards/relm/ilc/ilc87/rep-i.htm [Accessed 20th September 2011]
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[online] Available from: http://www.ilo.org/skills/what/events/lang--en/WCMS_140693/index.htm [Accessed 19th April 2011].
3
11. International Labour Organisation (ILO). (2010). Skills for green jobs global synthesis report: main findings & conclusions, 11-14.
[online] Available from: http://www.ilo.org/skills/what/events/lang--en/WCMS_140693/index.htm [Accessed 19th April 2011].
12. GovTrack (2011). Text of H.R. 2847 [110th]: Green Jobs Act of 2007 [online] Available from: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/
billtext.xpd?bill=h110-2847 [Accessed 20th September 2011]
13. American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). (2011). AFL-CIO Announces Infrastructure
Investments. [online]. Available from: http://blog.aflcio.org/2011/09/20/afl-cio-announces-infrastructure-investments/ [Accessed 23rd
September 2011].
14. International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). (2010b). Workshop on Climate Change, its impacts on employment and labour
markets. Trade Unions and Climate Change, Conference News 1 [online] Available from: http://www.ituc-csi.org/unions-and-
academics-assess-the.html [Accessed 17th January 2011].
Available from: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/documents/publication/wcms_083901.pdf
[Accessed 20th September 2011]
16. Trade Union Congress (TUC) (2010). GreenWorks. TUC GreenWorkplaces Project Report 2008-10 [online]. Available from: http://
www.tuc.org.uk/extras/greenworkplacesreport.pdf [Accessed 13th January 2011].
17. Sustainlabour (2009). Women Workers and Green Jobs, 3. [online] Available from: http://www.sustainlabour.org/documentos/
GreenJobsWomen.ENG.pdf [Accessed 11th March 2011].
18. Sustainlabour (2011). Sustainlabour Information System [online] Available from: http://www.sustainlabour.org/acciones.php?lang=EN
[Accessed 11th March 2011].
119
19. F.J. (Frans) Rooijers, B.H. (Bart) Boon, J. (Jasper) Faber (2007). Green4sure; A Green Energy Plan. [online] Available from: http://
www.cedelft.eu/publicatie/green4sure%3B_a_green_energy_plan*/550?PHPSESSID=ba06c2bae583aa15067df7fed0e7ebcf
[Accessed 2nd February 2011].
20. Labour Research Department. (2009). Unions and Climate Change – the case for union environment reps. London: Labour
Research Department.
21. Building and Wood Workers International (BWI). (2010). Hong Kong unions “Green projects with More Jobs” [online] Available
from: http://blogs.bwint.org/crisis/index.php/archives/49 [Accessed 11th March 2011]
22. European Commission. (2011). Project E-Cosmos. Strategies for a Sustainable Mobility of the European Commuters. [online]
Available from: http://www.istas.net/web/abreenlace.asp?idenlace=9189 [Accessed October 20, 2011].
23. International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). (2009). Food Crisis: A Recipe for Hunger - How the World is Failing on Food
[online] Available from: http://www.ituc-csi.org/food-crisis-a-recipe-for-hunger.html [Accessed 3rd March 2011].
24. Building and Wood Workers International (BWI). (2009). A Worker’s Perspective: Climate Change Strategies in the Construction,
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January 2011]
25. Toulmin, C. (2009) Climate Change in Africa. London: Zed Books. 143
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27. Sustainlabour (2011). Sustainlabour Information System [online] Available from: http://www.sustainlabour.org/ [Accessed 11th March 2011].
28. International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). (2006). Trade Union Statement to COP 12.
29. Australian Congress of Trade Unions (ACTU). (2008). Principles and Policy on Global Warming. [online]. Available from: http://
www.actu.org.au/Images/Dynamic/attachments/5904/ACTU%20Global%20Warming%20Policy%20March%202008%20final.pdf
[Accessed 9th August 2010].
120
Notes:
MODULE
3
121
Notes:
122
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CLIMATE CHANGE

UNEP promotes envi-

Copyright ©2011, United Nations Environment Programme

ISBN: 978-92-807-2960-3. UNEP Job Number DRC/1082/NA

© Maps, photos and illustrations as specified.

For bibliography purposes this document may be cited as:

This publication is available for download at http://www.unep.org/civil_society

“Strengthening trade union participation to international

“Toward Green and Decent Jobs: Enhancing Workers and

Funded by the Government of Spain

UNEP Review / Edition Team:

Translation: Constanza Fernandez Grenno

Table of contents vii

Module 2: Consequences of climate change on employment 0

Manual format and content

Trade XXXXXX XXXXXXX

This first module comprises five units:

n The link between greenhouse gas emissions from human

Unit 1: Climate Change and its

n Human causes (also called anthropogenic)

Box 1.1. Monthly average carbon dioxide concentration

The evolution of the atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide can be viewed

WHY ARE THEY CALLED GREENHOUSE GASES?

See the image below:

Some solar radiation is

The Greenhouse Effect

Rise in Greenhouse Gases concentrations Rise in temperatures

How and why concentrations of these gases are rising in

Box 1.2 Greenhouse gases and their sources

energy intensive ruminants

The GWP of the rest of the gases is as follows:

Box 1.3. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

The next assessment report is expected to be presented in 2014.

Consequences of Climate Change

How will changes in the climate affect the environment?

What about us?

Additionally, a greater variability in precipitation patterns is likely to compromise the supply

Box 1.4. Climate change impacts on MDGs (UNDP)

Climate change stresses pose additional burdens on agricultural production

Climate change will worsen health primarily through increased vulnerability

Climate change will worsen health primarily through increased vulnerability

Climate change will worsen health primarily through increased vulnerability

Climate change threatens environmental sustainability because it will cause

Which productive sectors are likely to be affected first?

Box 1.5. Effects of Climate Change on the environment, human

Change in Artic & Antartic

Changes in marine & freshwater systems

Displacements & migration

Industries & settlements

First effects Agriculture

What is going to happen in my region?

Box 1.6. Consequences of Climate Change in Africa

Reduced areas suitable for

Reduced yields for rain-fed

Reduced fisheries resources (aggravated

Box 1.7. Consequences of Climate Change in Asia

Reduced Water availability More than a billion people affected by 2050

Reduced yields for agriculture

Increased yields for agriculture

Increased morbidity and mortality

Source: IPCC (2007)

Box 1.8. Consequences of Climate Change in Latin America

Reduced Water availability

n The link between greenhouse gas emissions from human

n Poverty exacerbates, and is exacerbated by the impacts of environmental change:

n Livelihoodsare highly dependent on climate-sensitive resources: agriculture in

n The poorest inhabitants of developing countries already struggle to cope with

n Develop more efficient irrigation techniques, new cultivars,