Moot underscores need for placing workers at the centre of climate policies

KARACHI: Speakers at a discussion on Wednesday said that Pakistan’s shift towards a green economy risked becoming a “one-sided transition” unless workers, particularly those in the informal sector, were placed at the centre of climate and energy policies.

The discussion, titled “Towards a Sustainable and Just Future for Workers”, was organised by the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (Piler) at a local hotel.

Piler director Abbas Haider said a just transition was one in which workers were given importance, such as when a factory moved from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Citing a Piler study on the impact of climate change on workers in Karachi, he said it had been linked to domestic violence and sleeplessness, among other effects.

Sidra Saeed of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung said a just transition was not only about energy but also about power, participation and the social contract. She said renewable technology was expensive, meaning only a few could afford the shift from fossil fuels to electric.

Labour rights expert Abida Ali said those bearing the brunt of climate change, such as Nepal and Pakistan, had contributed the least to it.

Saeed Baloch of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum said industrialisation had driven carbon emissions and climate change, which now hit the most vulnerable, yet workers had not been at the centre of global climate talks. He said “just” meant that no country or community should be left behind.

Senior trade unionist Qamar ul Hasan said that even if emission targets were met, the damage already done could not be undone. He said climate change was the outcome of production in developed countries, and that wars and weapons also contributed to it, making a peace movement necessary as well.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026