International Labour Organization report on Climate Change 02/07/2019 – Posted in: Daily News

INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION REPORT ON CLIMATE CHANGE

 

For: Preliminary & Mains

Topics covered: Key findings of the report, Impacts, Heat stress, ILO

 

News Flash

A report from the International Labour Organization estimated that in 2030, 2.2 per cent of total working hours worldwide will be lost because of higher temperatures.

Report: “Working on a warmer planet: The impact of heat stress on labour productivity”.

 

Highlights of the Report

  • As climate change worsens, growing heat stress on workers in agriculture and other sectors will cause a productivity loss equal to 80 million full-time jobs.
  • The percentage is expected to be more than double that in the hardest-hit regions, western Africa and southern Asia.
  • This represents an economic loss totalling 1.4 per cent of global gross domestic product, or $2.4 trillion (2.1 trillion euros).
  • This is “a conservative estimate” since it is based on assumptions that warming will be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century.
  • Current estimates suggest that the planet could see warming double that amount.
  • Today, Some 940 million people work in agriculture, which is expected to account for about 60 per cent of global working hours lost by 2030
  • The construction sector will also be heavily affected, accounting for an estimated 19 per cent of all working hours lost due to heat stress over the same period.
  • People in the poorest regions of the world will suffer the greatest economic losses.

 

Way forward

The UN agency called for greater efforts to “design, finance and implement national policies to address heat stress risks and protect workers.

International Labour Organisation is calling for urgent measures by Governments, employers and workers, focusing on protecting the most vulnerable.

These include adequate infrastructure and improved early warning systems for extreme weather events, and improved implementation of international labour standards in occupational safety and health to help tackle heat-related hazards.

 

Heat Stress and its impacts

  • It refers to heat in excess of what the body can tolerate without suffering physiological impairment, and usually occurs at temperatures over 35 degrees Celsius, in high humidity.
  • Excess heat during work is an occupational health risk.
  • At very high temperatures, workers also risk suffering heatstroke, which can be deadly.

 

International Labour Organization

It was created in 1919, as part of the “Treaty of Versailles” that ended World War I, to reflect the belief that universal and lasting peace can be accomplished only if it is based on social justice.

Since 1919, the ILO brings together governments, employers and workers of 187 member States, to set labour standards, develop policies and devise programmes promoting decent work for all women and men.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is devoted to promoting social justice and internationally recognized human and labour rights, pursuing its founding mission that social justice is essential to universal and lasting peace.

 

Source: Business standard

 

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