climate change

By Zachory Phillips - Construction Dive, May 23, 2024

As summer begins, some states prevent cities from mandating water breaks. Still, there are commonsense practices to protect workers from soaring temperatures.

When the calendar turns to summer’s traditional start on Memorial Day, the longer days can help contractors deliver projects more quickly than during winter months.

At the same time, summer days bring intense heat in many parts of the country — so hot that it risks the health of outdoor workers. The safety of laborers in hot climates has garnered national attention in recent years, especially as research indicates that air temperatures are increasing around the globe and will continue to rise.

In many parts of the world, last summer was the hottest in 2,000 years, according to NASA. Miami broke its record for the city’s hottest July ever recorded. Temperatures hit over 100 degrees 70 times in El Paso, Texas. Phoenix hit 110 degrees 54 times.

For outdoor workers in some states, this summer will also be the first with new rules — and in some cases, new prohibitions against mandates — when it comes to water breaks. Texas and Florida have passed laws to stop municipalities within their borders from requiring employers to provide water breaks to workers.

In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 433, which will prevent cities and counties in the state from enacting their own heat safety regulations, starting in July.

The Texas law, dubbed “The Death Star Bill” by opponents, is currently in effect, though some cities, such as Houston and San Antonio, have sued over the legislation.

By various - Beyond Extreme Energy, May 23, 2024

By Caroline Drischel, Todd Smith, Nidhi Pant, Rachael Ross, and Hannah Boomgaarden - Safe Landing, May 20, 2024

By Alexandra Martinez - Prism, May 14, 2024

Florida farmworkers and workers’ rights advocates refuse to back down in their fight for stronger labor protections despite the governor’s push to block local governments from passing safeguards.

Last month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 433, which prevents local governments from requiring heat exposure protections for workers. Farmworker and labor advocates in Miami spent years advocating for heat protections for outdoor workers and came close to victory before the agricultural industry successfully lobbied against the law. Starting July 1, it will be illegal for local governments in Florida to pass health and safety measures for outdoor workers in extreme heat. The decision comes after Florida experienced its hottest summer on record.

The Farmworker Association of Florida (FWAF) targeted DeSantis with a veto campaign against the measure. Representatives from Hope CommUnity Center and the Hispanic Federation also lent their support, amplifying the urgent need for legislative intervention to safeguard the rights and well-being of farmworkers. Despite concerted efforts to advocate for heat protections, including mobilization and community outreach, advocates say HB 433 signifies a disheartening setback for the movement.

“We just want to make that plainly stated out loud and march through the town so that the people can know that we’re not OK with it,” said Ernesto Ruiz, a researcher and advocate from FWAF. “This is unacceptable, and our representatives are failing us.”

Additionally, advocates for farmworkers in Central Florida convened on May 1, with about 100 community members marching through the streets of Apopka to raise awareness about the dire conditions agricultural laborers face. 

“We talked about the importance of voting for those that can, about the importance of organizing our community. We stressed how during COVID and the pandemic, our communities were called essential, and now we’re being treated as criminals,” Ruiz said. “Rather than enacting protections to protect their basic health, just basic labor and decent standards, the state government is doing the exact opposite.” 

Miami-Dade County’s outdoor worker activists with WeCount! have organized for the nation’s first county-wide heat standard since 2017. The coalition of workers officially launched their ¡Que Calor! campaign in 2021 and came close to getting the Board of County Commissioners to approve the proposed heat standard in September, but by November, commissioners buckled under lobbyist pressure. The final vote was postponed until March in an effort to gain more support. 

By Anthony F. Pipa - The Brookings Institution, May 14, 2024

Download a transcript of this podcast.

By Finlay Asher - Safe Landing, May 9, 2024

By Nicole González, et. al. - Green New Deal Media, May 7, 2024

By Raluca Besliu - Green European Journaly, May 3, 2024

In India’s ongoing elections, economic and social issues are intertwined with rising temperatures and declining agricultural harvests. While Indian farmers are the worst affected, the climate path of the world’s most populous country and third-largest emitter affects us all – and there are things the EU could do to help.

The world’s largest democratic exercise is currently underway, with Indian voters heading to the polls for nationwide elections. In this elaborate and lengthy process, spanning from 19 April to 1 June, nearly one billion Indians will elect 543 representatives to the lower house, known as the Lok Sabha. The outcome will define the country’s leadership: polls predict the incumbent, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and his right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), will win a clear victory, with the main opposition, the centre-left National Congress Party, trailing far behind. 

With the world’s fastest-expanding economy and a young and growing population, India grapples with a multitude of issues. Of key concern to the Indian electorate is the persistent challenge of unemployment, slightly higher than in 2014 when Modi came to power with promises of widespread job creation. The rise of an aggressive Hindu nationalism under Modi’s leadership, which promotes Hindu “values” as intrinsically those of the nation, has also stirred unease among religious minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians. 

Yet while these important issues dominate the headlines, something else lurks beneath the surface: climate change. It subtly shapes voter demands through the lens of anxieties about livelihoods and welfare, as growing parts of the electorate experience its harsh consequences first-hand in the form of scorching droughts, heatwaves, and torrential rains.

India is the world’s third-largest carbon emitter. Given its critical role in global climate action, the implications of the election outcome extend far beyond the country’s borders. The EU and other global stakeholders should thus closely monitor its results not just for the impact they will have on domestic affairs, but for international climate efforts. 

By Veronica Wilson - Labor Network for Sustainability, April 30, 2024

On May 8, 2024, California Labor for Climate Jobs (CLCJ) will rally for a Day of Action at the California state capitol. As legislators head into final days of committee hearings and Governor Gavin Newsom prepares to announce his 2024-2025 State Budget revisions, CLCJ will turn up the volume to voice their pro-worker and pro-climate demands. Now with 15 unions on board, the coalition already has some wins like EV manufacturing block grant programs in the state to prioritize high road employers to enhance labor standards, community benefits and labor peace agreements.

Adding to that momentum, the coalition’s manufacturing, home care, service, education, food and commercial, and public employees unions will link arms to call for climate resilient schools, Cal OSHA staffing, indoor and outdoor heat protections for workers, and more. Track #workerledtransition and #labormustleadonclimate and please help amplify the worker-led transition to a climate-safe economy. You can follow these and more on CLCJ social media, including CLCJ Instagram, CLCJ Facebook, and CLCJ Twitter/X.

By Chris Litchfield - Labor Network for Sustainability, April 30, 2024