Some effects of climate change — such as extreme weather, including droughts or flooding — are unavoidable, even if greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are reduced. Adapting to these effects, rather than suffering them, is a necessity. Trade unions should be more aware of climate change adaptation, and should include it when they bargain with employers or the state

Felli, Romain

Serveur académique lausannois

A Just Transition Must Include ClimateChange AdaptationSome e&ects of climate change — such as extreme weather, includingdroughts or 8ooding — are unavoidable, even if greenhouse gas (GHG)emissions are reduced. Adapting to these e&ects, rather than su&eringthem, is a necessity. Trade unions should be more aware of climate changeadaptation, and should include it when they bargain with employers orthe state.In 2016 UNIA — the largest trade union active in construction andindustrial work in Switzerland — won special protection for workers ofthe Vaud region in the case of severe weather. Now, during the wintermonths, the mechanism negotiated by the union with the employers’association and the regional State (Canton) ensures that work onoutside construction sites is stopped in the case of heavy rain, snow orcold weather.As part of the agreement, the Swiss Federal OLce of Meteorologypublishes an oLcial weather forecast for the region twice a day, whichserves as the basis for deciding whether work should be stopped or not.If that is the case, workers receive Nnancial compensation for lost hoursof work thanks to a tripartite fund (paid for by the state, employers andworkers).During the summer, the weather forecast also Pags exceptionally warmdays (above 34°C), but this situation does not yet lead to protection andcompensation for workers. And nor does it cover workers in othertrades. However, UNIA wishes to include heat waves in a further roundof negotiations with employers. Such a development will be needed toprotect workers’ health when Switzerland experiences much warmersummer months in the near future because of climate change.Photo credit: Syndicat UniaRomain Felliis a lecturer in international relations at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland.Apr 13 · 5 min readA Just Transition Must Include Climate Change Adaptation https://medium.com/just-transitions/felli-10b0a4cc8a5a1 sur 4 19.04.18 à 11:41According to newspaper reports on a recent study, Geneva is one of thecities that will experience over 2°C summer temperature increase injust ten years’ time — and by 2060 there is likely to be a tripling of thenumber of days where the temperature rises over 30°C. Under thesecircumstances the protection of the health and security of constructionworkers is a pressing issue. The severe weather compensationmechanism shows what trade unions could and should seek to achieve.So far trade unions at the local, national or even international levelhave generally focused their eXorts on the ’mitigation’ part of climatepolicies — those that entail reducing greenhouse gas emissions.Overall, this drive is already yielding eXects by encouraging coalitionsof trade unions and environmental NGOs to demand labour-friendlymeasures in energy transitions, public ownership, reclaiming energyproduction and so on.But adapting our cities, rural areas and our economy to a warmerclimate is a whole diXerent challenge. Not only do greenhouse gasemissions need be reduced, but we also need to learn to live with achanged climate and to cope with its eXects such as more extremeweather events. In rural areas this may lead to longer periods ofdrought. In mountain areas it may mean less snow and, hence, maybeless tourism — or at least the need to change the unsustainable patternsof winter tourism that rely exclusively on capital intensive andecologically damaging activities (such as artiNcial snow production). Incities it may mean more frequent and longer periods of heat wavesaXecting vulnerable people such as isolated elderly people.Photo credit: Manu Friederich via UniaA Just Transition Must Include Climate Change Adaptation https://medium.com/just-transitions/felli-10b0a4cc8a5a2 sur 4 19.04.18 à 11:41Climate change mitigation is a trade union matter because it threatensemployment in “brown” sectors and oXers an opportunity to expand itinto “green” sectors, such as renewable energy. This is the mainconcern addressed by the Just Transition framework. But trade unionsshould worry about climate change adaptation too. Climate changeadaptation — whenever possible — will only succeed if it does notreinforce existing inequalities. Unions must ensure that capital, notworking people, pays the price of climate change; and unions should bea key actor in the discussion of transition plans. Indeed, where tradeunions are weak and worker protection inadequate, climate changeadaptation may come to mean longer working hours, less stable andharsher working conditions (as documented by Ethemcan Turhan andhis colleagues in the case of migrant labour in Turkish agriculture).Negotiating Nnancial compensations, as UNIA did, is just one of thedimensions of adapting workplaces to the eXects of climate change.Public service unions representing Nre brigades or health workers areat the forefront of managing the impacts of climate change, such asdroughts, Pooding or heat waves. They should make an argumentabout protecting local public services as a buXer against the eXects ofclimate change — and indeed they can argue for more public spendingon infrastructures (such as electricity generation, public transport,research and education, health etc.) as a strategy for building resiliencecollectively.Unions can be proactive if they anticipate the possible eXects of climatechange — and some of them are already aware of this challenge. ButNrst, they must realize, that climate change adaptation is a unionconcern. Trade unions should anticipate these transformations tobetter shape the contemporary and future decisions on climate changeadaptation and resilience. It also matters if we want trade unions to bemore deeply involved in the community. What are you doing about it inyour union?Retreating Morteratsch Glacier, photo credit: Andreas Handschin via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)A Just Transition Must Include Climate Change Adaptation https://medium.com/just-transitions/felli-10b0a4cc8a5a3 sur 4 19.04.18 à 11:41Romain Felli (@fefelli) is the co-director of the Centre of InternationalHistory and Political Studies of Globalization at the University ofLausanne where he is a lecturer in international relations- working onclimate politics. He also teaches at the Institute for EnvironmentalSciences, University of Geneva. Romain is an active member of the Swisstrade union for public services.This think piece is part of the Just Transition(s) Online Forum.A Just Transition Must Include Climate Change Adaptation https://medium.com/just-transitions/felli-10b0a4cc8a5a4 sur 4 19.04.18 à 11:41

A Just Transition Must Include Climate Change Adaptation

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A Just Transition Must Include Climate Change Adaptation

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Serveur académique lausannois