TUAC - TRADE UNION ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO THE OECD

27/09/2013

Action to halt climate change must be an integral part of measure to achieve a jobs rich recovery. This is one of the untold consequences of a major scientific report released today.

“Scientists have confirmed that climate change is real, it’s happening now and humans have caused it” said John Evans, the General Secretary of TUAC. “We have to do our utmost now to ensure there is a link between employment promotion and climate protection, otherwise neither of these two objectives will be attained”, he added.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), released in Stockholm today, is the first of a series of reports, which compiles the state of scientific knowledge on climate change, its impacts and the measures to prevent it. According to the IPCC, sea levels are rising, precipitation patterns are changing, sea ice is declining and oceans are acidifying - all with grave consequences for our communities, environments and economies.

“The challenges of transforming our economies to comply with the climate challenge cannot be underestimated”, said Evans. “But they should not be used as a barrier for committing to emission cuts. On the contrary, the implementation of Just Transition strategies can contribute to social and environmentally virtuous outcomes.

This report strengthens trade unions’ commitment to the fight against climate change. The labour movement calls on governments to react with renewed ambition in the run up to the UN-led conference in Warsaw next November 2013.

“The need for new thinking is even more compelling when we know that current policies are not bringing jobs back to the economy, said Evans. “In industrialised countries, where leadership on emission cuts must be taken, there is a need for a more ambitious approach to industrial policy and transition planning. The OECD can play a role in identifying the transitional arrangements needed to protect workers and consumers from the impacts of the transformation”, concluded Evans.