Page 283 - Special Topic Session (STS) - Volume 1

STS429 Catherine S.
employment gains associated with the 2°C scenario create jobs in currently
male-dominated industries (renewables, manufacturing and construction),
unless action is taken to reduce occupational segregation. Coordination
between the social partners can reduce inequality and promote efficiency
gains, while coordination at the international level is necessary to achieve
meaningful reductions in emissions. Certain mitigation policies (such as
limiting the increase in temperature, for example by promoting renewable
energy) may act as an incentive for enterprises to develop and adopt more
efficient technology, thereby boosting employment in key occupations, as well
as productivity. Adaptation policies (e.g. converting to resilient agriculture
practice) can also create jobs at the local level.

7. The legal framework can provide incentives for the greening of the
economy, while ensuring decent work
Legal standards can promote progress towards decent work during and
beyond the transition to environmental sustainability. By virtue of their broad
acceptance and universal relevance for workers, workplaces and the various
sectors, international labour standards provide a social pillar for the green
economy and can help to ensure that emerging sectors offer decent working
conditions. In addition, ILO standards on occupational safety and health
contribute to the preservation of the environment. The Indigenous and Tribal
Peoples Convention, 1989 (No. 169), which requires environmental impact
assessments to be carried out in relation to development activities that may
affect that population, the Prevention of Major Industrial Accidents
Convention, 1993 (No. 174), and the Employment and Decent Work for Peace
and Resilience Recommendation, 2017 (No. 205), among others, address
environmental issues directly.
Multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs), which are binding
agreements between States dealing with environmental matters, increasingly
include labour dimensions, such as the importance of environmental rights at
work, employment protection and promotion. They place particular emphasis
on occupational safety and health standards. At the national level,
environmental legislation and policies are increasingly incorporating labour
issues. In 19 of the 26 national legal frameworks reviewed for this report,
climate change policies contain labour considerations, including
complementary skills policies and job creation. Sector-specific environmental
legislation also tends to cover employment and decent work issues. The strong
links between environmental regulation and labour issues are also more and
more evident in sub-Saharan Africa in the renewable energy and waste
management sectors.

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