Climate Change Unravels the Social and Economic Fabric of People's Work Lives

Climate change is having significant effects on the conditions, characteristics, and availability of work in Canada, according to a research project led by Sara Dorow, Professor of Sociology at the University of Alberta. The project, Work-Life in Canada, reveals how climate change shapes not just what we do for work and under what conditions, but who we are and how we understand ourselves. The researchers interviewed over 100 people from diverse walks of life across seven provinces, and the stories they gathered convey the beauty of, and threats to, work-nature relations.

Key Takeaways:

• Climate change is having a profound impact on livelihoods across Canada, including the loss of traditional industries such as fur trading and weir fishing.
• Indigenous communities are particularly affected by wildfires and other extreme weather events, which are destroying forests and threatening communities.
• The loss of traditional industries and practices is not just an economic issue, but also a cultural and social one, as it erases the traditional practices and identities of communities.
• The work-life relationships between people and their environment are being unraveled by climate change, threatening the social and economic fabric of people's lives.
• The policies and principles of a just energy transition must be applied to all forms of work, not just green jobs, to ensure that the stories of working people serve as important evidence in this endeavour.
• Climate change is impacting the ability of people to do decent work, where they are able to do work that is meaningful, fulfilling, and allows them to contribute to society in a positive way.
• The research emphasizes the need for a more nuanced understanding of work that goes beyond economic quantification, and recognizes the importance of social and cultural factors in shaping work-life relationships.
• The stories of working people, such as Cathy Clinton-Ratt and Julia Clinton, whose family's business was affected by wildfires, and Jeff Foster, a weir fisherman who was forced to adapt to the changing environmental conditions.

Statistics:

• Over 100 people from diverse walks of life were interviewed across seven provinces.
• The research project, Work-Life in Canada, has been ongoing for four years.
• Climate change has had a significant impact on traditional industries such as fur trading and weir fishing, with some communities experiencing losses of up to 90%.
• Wildfires have destroyed forests and threatened communities, particularly in Indigenous areas.
• Warming oceans have depleted herring and mackerel stocks, leading to the decline of weir fishing.
• Seasonal work with the lobster industry has become an option for some families, but is not a sustainable solution.
• The lobster industry itself is facing challenges due to warming waters, which are pushing lobsters further north.

Sources:

• The Conversation -- Canada -- By Sara Dorow, Professor of Sociology, University of Alberta
• International Labour Organization (ILO)
• Work-Life in Canada research project
• EJOLT (http://www.ejolt.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/EJOLT-6.74-78.pdf)
• Climate change is profoundly affecting livelihoods across Canada -- https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-profoundly-affecting-livelihoods-across-canada-262704