Our Work/Environment Dialogues 2024: Energy Transitions and Labor Rights

“Getting to Just: Energy Transition and Its Impact on the Job Landscape and Labor Rights”

Background 

Transition to renewable energy sources has been deemed as the key solution to the climate crisis. Governments around the world are actively seeking alternative sources of cleaner energy, while businesses are adopting sustainable approaches and placing clean energy at the core of their operations. The concept of a “just” energy transition is being heralded to ensure the balance between the environmental and social dimensions of climate change, ensuring that the process of energy transition impacts positively on people and the planet. 

Climate change has created severe impacts on the socio-economic conditions of people around the world, especially those that are more vulnerable, such as workers. Energy transition must not worsen this phenomenon. As the world gears toward a post-fossil economy, measures must be taken to ensure the well-being of workers in the economy. As governments are formulating roadmaps for energy transition, the voices of the workforce must be heard to ensure inclusive and socially just policy frameworks. 

A major concern is related to job security. The private sector’s shift to cleaner energy technology could provide a critical juncture for its workers. They may receive opportunities to upgrade their skills and knowledge, and new “green job” opportunities might be made available in the process. However, this process may also induce anxiety in workers over job security and labor rights. Stakeholders must work together to ensure that the rights of laborers in all sectors and levels are protected. 

Live interpretation will be provided in English, Portuguese, French, and Indonesian. 

Key questions 

• As we transition to greener energy, there is a promise of new job opportunities in sectors like renewable energy, but there are also potential job losses in coal and oil. How can we ensure that the energy transition is both economically viable and socially just? 
• How do we anticipate the potential challenges to labor rights in the emerging green energy sectors? What proactive measures can be taken to protect the rights of workers in these new fields? 

Speakers 

• Flavia Lopes is a researcher and journalist covering the environment and climate change, as well as a Pulitzer Center grantee. She is a German Chancellor Fellow at the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, conducting research on energy transition in Germany and India. 
• Bagus Santoso is the head of training and development at the Coalition of Indonesian Labor Unions (Gabungan Serikat Buruh Indonesia/GSBI). GSBI is an organization that coordinates Indonesian labor unions in various sectors in an effort to lead advocacy and ensure labor rights. 
• Sabrina Fernandes is a Brazilian sociologist, political economist, author, and activist. She is the head of research at the Alameda Institute, an "international institute for collective research rooted in contemporary social struggles," according to the group's website. She has geared her activist, research, and publishing work in the past years toward advancing efforts for a just and internationalist ecological transition. She pioneered the digital communication project Tese Onze (Thesis Eleven), bridging academic research and activist communication, with over 400,000 subscribers across different online platforms and media output, including a podcast and book club. 
• Pawanjot Kaur is an independent journalist, media content producer, and filmmaker with eight years' experience in media. 
• Grenti Paramitha is the Pulitzer Center’s Southeast Asia Education Program manager. She’s passionate about Indigenous rights, the green economy, and renewable-energy transition. Her most recent work includes the co-development of international impact grants and women-focused scholarships.

This webinar is part of a 3-event series, "Our Work/Environment Dialogues." To learn about related events and register, please click the links below:

• January 24: Work Relations, Coastal Communities, and Ocean Levels
• January 31: The Cost of Comfort: How Everyday Choices and Business Practices Impact the Environment and Labor