Greening the workforce.

• Author: Somavia, Juan

The climate negotiations are entering into their most intense phase. Negotiators are aiming to put together one of most complex sets of international commitments ever. This goal is an ambitious package which can deliver within the short time frame that is left for preventing dangerous climate change. Such an agreement will massively redirect investments, trigger technology transfers and mobilize billions of dollars to help developing countries cope with climate change.

The challenge of striking a deal in Copenhagen is not underestimated by the representatives of the world of work--employers, workers and governments--who come together at the International Labour Organization (ILO). They are aware of the profound changes in production and consumption patterns that a meaningful climate agreement will have. But their message to world leaders and to the negotiators is that they are ready for the challenges of the transformation of enterprises, jobs and employment patterns.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND JOBS IN TIMES OF ECONOMIC CRISIS

In the last year, mounting concern over jobs and the state of the economy has been threatening to eclipse other priorities and is likely to linger. Thanks to decisive and concerted action by governments, markets show signs of bouncing back, but incomes, jobs and people have not.

An ILO survey of 53 countries shows a 23.6 per cent increase in unemployment in the year to March 2009.1 With the world's labour force rising by 45 million a year, some 300 million additional jobs will be needed from now to 2015 just to return to pre-crisis levels of unemployment. The impact of the crisis on poverty is even more challenging. The United Nations estimates that 73-103 million more people will remain or fall into poverty due to the crisis. (2)

But we cannot afford to wait to address the climate challenge until economies and labour markets have recovered. We have to tackle both climate change and the jobs crisis together, and we can.

In fact, the climate and the jobs crisis have common roots. We have over-emphasized the economy, especially the financial sector, and undervalued the social and environmental dimensions of sustainability. The response to the crisis needs to redress this imbalance.

A GLOBAL JOBS PACT

Governments, employers and worker organizations of the ILO's 183 member countries underscored this at the International Labour Conference in June 2009 when they focused on a productive and people-centred response to the economic...