Climate & Labor | Bringing Worlds Together
The face-to-face program will take place in English and Portuguese, with simultaneous translation available. Webinar sessions will also be available in four languages: English, Portuguese, French and Bahasa Indonesian.
Climate & Labor | Bringing Worlds Together
19-21 de abril de 2023
Auditorium, Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra + Online
Workers are on the front lines of the climate crisis. As the world heats up, what real-world problems arise—and what jobs and employment sectors are threatened or must change?
Climate change has intensified extreme-weather conditions, like drought, severe floods, and frequent hurricanes, which are already changing human experiences, particularly working conditions. Using labor to discuss climate change can be a powerful engagement tool, as labor is a pathway into most adult lives on this planet. In contrast with the ubiquity and significance of this interconnection, and how important it is for human relations, it has been understudied and, mostly, underreported.
The outdated framing of tradeoffs between economic development and protecting the environment, present in media and fostered by industry stakeholders, is another key obstacle to tackle in the link between climate change and labor. Also, the complexity of this multi- and interdisciplinary topic makes its communication for society many-sided and tricky. Research carried out by the Pulitzer Center with interviews with climate and labor authorities around the world shows that despite climate change having had a profound effect on labor issues around the world, the media landscape has lagged in reporting on the complexity of these relationships.
Critical intersections—including gender discrimination, loss of traditional livelihoods, and a just transition to clean energy—are yet to be fully explored on a global scale and also in public and academic debates. Fostering the public, media, and university communities’ dialogue, which includes strong representation from diverse voices, is key to filling these gaps.
The Centre for Social Studies, the Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra, and the Pulitzer Center will hold a two-day conference designed to start a discussion about the connection between climate change and labor rights.