Climate justice as a workers’ issue and the struggle for planetary health

By Gabriela Calugay-Casuga - Rabble, September 7, 2022

After a scorching summer that saw record temperatures in the territories, B.C. and other parts of Canada, the effects of climate change are impossible to ignore. Under the intense heat, labour organizations are not stopping their mobilization to fight for climate justice. 

“Climate justice absolutely is a workers’ issue,” said Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labour Congress in an email to rabble.ca. “Labour rights and human rights go hand in hand, and a transition to a net-zero economy must be achieved respecting both labour and human rights.” 

The extreme weather events caused by climate change also have a direct, concrete impact on workers, according to the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) National President, Jan Simpson.

“Our members feel the direct impact of climate change every day on the job,” Simpson said. “Working outside and in non-climate-controlled workplaces, our members face big mental and physical health risks from climate change and increasing extreme weather events, like heat waves and forest fires.” 

Heat events have become a growing health and safety concern for workers. Without legislation that lays out the maximum temperature people can work in, workers can suffer from heat related illness that can sometimes be fatal.

Protecting the environment protects workers

In order to protect working conditions, the environment must also be protected, according to Fiona Hanley. Hanley is the Quebec representative for the Canadian Association of Nurses for the Environment (CANE). 

Hanley said that CANE advocates for “planetary health” a term they use to include different aspects of climate justice in their struggle. 

“Planetary health is a much larger understanding about the fact that we are part of this system,” Hanley said. “It’s recognition of our endured interdependence on ecosystems…We are part of the environment, and the environment is part of us.” 

When labour organizations make gains in the struggle for climate justice, workplaces become safer, according to Hanley. 

Hanley explained that worsening health in the general population caused by extreme weather events creates more work for nurses. Not only do nurses provide care when someone is suffering from a heat related illness, but they also educate communities on how to prevent and avoid health issues. 

Poor mental health, burnout and feeling overworked have pushed many nurses out of the profession, exacerbating the health human resource crisis. As climate change continues to harm the public’s health, the crisis will grow. 

Hanley said that to stop this cycle, there needs to be investments in a green healthcare system. 

“We need to look at everything from how energy is used, what kind of food is supplied, what kind of things we purchase,” Hanley said.

Some aspects of a green healthcare system include reducing the amount of meat bought and distributed in hospitals, investing in sanitary reusable Personal Protective Equipment and switching to renewable energy. 

“When we do some of these initiatives within the healthcare sector, it actually can cost less in the long term,” Hanley said. “The healthcare sector often looks at costs in the short term, but things like disposables get thrown away.” 

Hanley said this solution both saves money and the environment. 

Nurses are not the only sector affected by their profession’s environmental impact. For postal workers, the greenhouse gasses emitted along their routes contribute to high temperatures. Postal workers spend long hours outside delivering mail and risk heat related illnesses after prolonged exposure, according to Simpson of CUPW. As long as Canada Post relies on high emission vehicles, postal workers are forced to contribute to the worsening climate conditions that puts their health at risk. 

Simpson said that for postal workers, the solution is to invest in electric delivery vehicles and to make these vehicles available to all workers that deliver along Canada Post’s routes. 

“CUPW has long been pressuring Canada Post through multiple channels to improve its environmental performance,” Simpson said. “We’ve brought lots of initiatives to the employer over the years, including in our bargaining demands.” 

In August 2021, Canada Post committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Simpson said that CUPW initially criticized the targets laid out by Canada Post as insufficient. CUPW’s pressure eventually got Canada Post to reconsider their targets. 

Hanley said that CANE has also made progress in their efforts for climate justice. She said that CANE has been successful in elevating nurses’ voices as experts on planetary health. 

Simpson said that although there have been gains, there is still work to be done. 

Creating committees to brainstorm and push for green initiatives in the workplace and organizing co-workers are some key ways people can mobilize, Simpson said. 

“CUPW has been taking climate change very seriously for years, working together with civil society groups and environmental organizations, and has brought the issue to the bargaining table,” Simpson said. “It’s encouraging to see recent progress at Canada Post, but there is so much more to do.”

This article is part of rabble’s series “The Boiling Point.” The Boiling Point examines the ways increasingly high temperatures due to the climate crisis are affecting our summers in Canada on a social, institutional, and ecological level. The series also explains how Canadians can take action against climate change and make real differences in their communities. Follow more stories here.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are not the official position of the IWW (or even the IWW’s EUC) and do not necessarily represent the views of anyone but the author.