Climate crisis threatens jobs to deepen labour and health risks

Bangladesh's economic growth, labour force and public health are increasingly threatened by the intensifying climate crisis, speakers cautioned at a roundtable in Dhaka on Sunday. They called for immediate policy action, enhanced worker protections and urgent investment in climate resilience.

Speakers highlighted that heat-related health risks are costing Bangladesh nearly 250 million working hours annually, with estimated economic losses of $1.78 billion—about 0.4% of national GDP.

Without effective adaptation, they warned, Bangladesh and the regional readymade garment sector could face export losses of nearly $65 billion and the loss of about one million jobs by 2030.

The observations were made during a roundtable discussion titled "Climate Crisis and the Future of Work: Journey Towards a Sustainable and Just Bangladesh", organised by the National Alliance for Just Transition Bangladesh (NAJTB) in collaboration with the Sustainable Manufacturing and Environmental Pollution (SMEP) Programme at the National Press Club on the occasion of World Environment Day 2026.

Speakers urged the government, employers, workers' organisations and development partners to collaborate urgently on a just transition—protecting workers, strengthening public health, accelerating renewable energy deployment and ensuring a sustainable, climate-resilient future.

The event was chaired by Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed, Executive Coordinator of the National Alliance for Just Transition Bangladesh, and attended by trade union leaders, labour rights activists, environmental experts, civil society representatives, youth leaders and development practitioners.

They also called on the government to raise budget allocations for public health and just transition measures, including greater investment in occupational safety, heat-resilient healthcare and worker-focused adaptation programmes.

Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed said global climate commitments are often disconnected from the realities facing workers.

He advocated for integrating social protection, climate-resilient housing, occupational health and safe public transportation into labour and climate policy frameworks.

He also emphasised developing coordinated labour positions for international climate negotiations and identifying climate-vulnerable communities for targeted interventions.

Presenting the keynote, BLF Programme Officer Md Zubaer Alam noted that Bangladesh faced one of its longest and most severe heatwaves in 2024, with temperatures exceeding 43°C in several regions.

In 2026, temperatures in most areas have remained above 39°C.

He cited the World Meteorological Organization's warning of an 80% probability of El Niño conditions between June and August 2026, raising concerns over more frequent and prolonged heatwaves and extreme weather events.

The keynote highlighted that extreme heat, power shortages and unplanned urbanisation are forcing workers into ever more hazardous conditions.

Workers are suffering dehydration, heatstroke, dizziness, fainting and kidney-related illnesses. Extreme heat is also compromising nutrition, maternal health and access to sexual and reproductive health services, particularly among women, informal workers and climate-vulnerable communities.

Speakers said climate change is reshaping labour markets, productivity and employment patterns, making climate resilience central to Bangladesh's future development strategy.

A just transition is essential, they stressed, to ensure climate action creates decent jobs, protects workers' rights, strengthens social protection, promotes gender equality and advances sustainability while reducing inequality.

Nurul Amin, Joint Convenor of Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad (SKOP), said industrial policy remains focused on production targets, with workers largely excluded from adaptation planning.

Kutubuddin Ahmed, Chairperson of IndustriALL Bangladesh Council (IBC), warned that environmental degradation would inevitably have severe consequences.

Speaking for the youth, Sohanur Rahman, Executive Coordinator of YouthNet Global, said young people would inherit both the climate crisis and the future of work.

"Investing in green jobs, climate-resilient infrastructure, renewable energy, climate-smart skills and workplace heat protection is essential to ensure decent work opportunities for future generations and a sustainable, low-carbon economy," he said.

Environmental expert Farzana Yasmin said economic systems have long prioritised profit over people and planet, adding that sustainable development is now a necessity, not a luxury.

Kalpona Akter of the Bangladesh Centre for Workers' Solidarity criticised global brands for promoting green factories while failing to ensure fair wages and decent conditions for workers.

Abul Kalam Azad of Just Energy Transition Network Bangladesh (JETNET Bangladesh) called for removing bureaucratic barriers to renewables and urged policymakers to prioritise using fallow, low-use, and degraded land for solar projects rather than agricultural land.

Bangladesh Labour Foundation (BLF) Programme Director Raisul Islam Khan said the climate crisis is now a major challenge affecting workers' rights, public health, economic productivity and sustainable development.

Speakers also highlighted the disproportionate impacts of climate change on women workers, including health risks, income insecurity, increased unpaid care work and barriers to healthcare and social protection.

They called for stronger gender-responsive climate policies and greater alignment between climate resilience efforts and Bangladesh's priorities, including the Sustainable Development Goals, National Adaptation Plan and renewable energy targets.

Speakers called for mandatory workplace heat protection, urban greening, restoration of water bodies, climate-sensitive social protection, expanded investment in renewable energy, stronger public health awareness, and better healthcare access.

They warned that the rising frequency and intensity of heatwaves has become one of Bangladesh's most urgent development, labour, public health and human rights challenges.