View previous stories
	Paris Climate conference has to end with a firm decision by Muhammad Yunus Bangladesh   The global average surface temperature in 2015 is likely to be the warmest on record and to reach the symbolic and significant milestone of 1° Celsius above the pre-industrial era, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).   The warning comes ahead of landmark climate talks in Paris taking place now, when world leaders are expected to agree on measures to stop temperatures rising beyond key measures.   The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says "this is all bad news for the planet" but I believe now we have in front of us is an unprecedented opportunity, and historical chance to make the paradigm shift that humanity desperately needs. The Paris Climate Conference (COP21) presents us this wonderful opportunity to define our future.   At present, the future of human civilization is at stake because of the senseless slaughter of the environment and natural resources. It is time that we realize the toll the so-called prosperity is taking on the ecology and the climate. We must understand the ominous consequences our unlimited greed and faulty economic practices are having on the planet''s future, and what legacy would we leave for our children and future generations if we continue the so-called "prosperity" at the current pace?   Do we want our children born today to live to see humanity''s end? We must not forget that, the present generation is blessed with a unique opportunity and as well as moral responsibility to save the world.   It is now obligatory for us to save the planet from the mounting environmental threat. World leaders converging in Paris for the landmark climate talks must not risk being the villains in the eyes of our future generation.   The paradigm shift that we are needing is a radical change that requires us to move away from the excessive and selfish lifestyle we have been led to believe was the most satisfying one, but that is in reality based on egoistic and unjust exploitation of resources and of human capital, to a lifestyle tilted more on selflessness than on selfishness, to an economic system that is untied from continuous concentration of wealth and opportunities, that can lead us to what I have been calling a global destination.   I believe to this end, the unveiling of the Sustainable Development Goals is a milestone for our collective future and SDGs hold promise for the future well-being of all. However, the long-awaited Paris Climate Conference can provide critical climate-action policy that can be instrumental in achieving the SDGs.   We know that present development model is not an option anymore: it is as unfair as it is unjust, and left unchecked will take us to an irreversible process of self-destruction. But it is not too late. Greenhouse-gas emission, which is causing global warming and climate change, can be reduced. We have the knowledge and we have the know-how to act.   The Paris Conference should focus on both long-term in its aspiration of setting a decarbonization -- or net zero -- goal; as well as have regular short-term review cycles to ensure that progress is on track.   The agreement must also underpin the just transition to a low-carbon economy and green-jobs creation by being grounded in sound equity principles. Achieving this net-zero goals is the only just, rational, and humane way forward.   It is sensible because it will revert the trend of economic development and investment being coupled with carbon emissions; it will present an opportunity to allow for local entrepreneurship to flourish, by stimulating creative transformative initiatives that will provide the ground for a sustainable and just development.   The world must work to gradually end reliance on carbon-based fuels. Scientists have confirmed that enough solar energy falls on the surface of the earth every 40 minutes to meet 100 percent of the entire world''s energy needs for a full year. Even as we tackle the climate challenge, we must also help bring empowering energy services to the 1.2 billion people who lack access to electricity and the almost three billion who cook on polluting, unhealthy stoves.   A comprehensive and compassionate response to climate change requires us to help the world''s poorest gain access to sustainable energy solutions so that they can improve their lives while avoiding the dirty-energy path that developed countries followed.   I created Grameen Shakti (energy) social business almost 20 years ago -- to bring clean solar power to light and communication technology to the villages across Bangladesh. Currently my country, Bangladesh, has one of the fastest-growing solar-home-system projects in the world. Our efforts exceeded everyone''s expectations, with the millionth solar-home system installed in 2013.   But there is much more work to be done to reach the UN''s global goal of reaching universal access to energy, hopefully they mean clean energy, by 2030. Building a green economy by breaking free from fossil-fuel addiction is the smartest and most efficient way to create new engines of sustainable growth and job creation for the next generations.   The effort to achieve zero-carbon emission through renewable energy and technological innovation can create jobs, fight unemployment and poverty. According to a 2015 IRENA report titled Renewable Energy and Jobs, more than 7.7 million people worldwide are now employed by the renewable-energy industry. This is an 18 per cent increase from last year''s. The region with the most number of jobs created in the renewable sector is Asia.   Mitigating vulnerability to climate change driven crisis has become a critical issue for the Global South. Southern countries lack the means to deal with with climate hazards and their economies also lean to have greater reliance on climate-sensitive sectors, such as agriculture, water, and coastal belts. For these developing countries, adaptation to climate change remains at the forefront of their development agenda.   Managing climate change and ensuring environmental sustainability requires use of a wide range of environmentally sound technologies. Focusing on technological innovations to solve human problems is a major way forward.   Therefore, transfer of environmentally sound technologies is critical in enabling Southern Countries to pursue their objectives for sustainable development in a climate-friendly manner. But unfortunately technology has always remained under the command of money-makers and war-makers.   We need to bring in a new class of players on the playing field of technology who will create new technology exclusively for solving social problems and adapt the existing technology for the same purpose, without any thought of making personal profit out of this. The sooner the socially committed players take charge of technology, the faster the world will reach the zero-carbon-emission target.   I therefore urge all the developed countries to facilitate and finance the transfer of environmentally sound technologies and know-how to developing countries who are at the forefront of climate apocalypse.   We cannot ignore the ethical implications of what we are doing to current and future generations, whose opportunities in life will be diminished by the harm we are doing to our planet''s natural systems. It is about creating a healthier society, built on the recognition of a moral obligation to let selflessness to come into full play, and restrain selfishness to initiate a process of transformational change. We are the generation that is responsible for put in motion this trans-generational change.   * Muhammad Yunus is a Nobel Peace Prize winner; founder, of the Grameen Bank; Chairman of the Yunus Centre Visit the related web page
	Every minute, a person dies from exposure to toxic substances at work by Baskut Tuncak Special Rapporteur on human rights and hazardous substances   15 May 2015   In wake of deadly shoe factory fire in Manila, ILO urges global action to make workplaces safe.   The International Labour Organization (ILO), in a statement issued in the wake of this week''s deadly shoe factory fire in the Philippine capital, noted “often such accidents are preventable” and offered its assistance to improve safety and health conditions in the workplace.   “I was greatly saddened by the news of the deaths of dozens of workers in the shoe factory fire in Manila,” ILO Director-General Guy Ryder said. “On behalf of the International Labour Organization (ILO), I extend my condolences to the bereaved families and share in their sorrow.”   “Once again, we find ourselves mourning workers whose lives have been cut short as a result of workplace accidents,” Mr. Ryder said. “Often such accidents are preventable.”   The reported death toll in a fire on Wednesday that destroyed a shoe factory in the Philippine capital has risen to 72, according to news reports.   In the statement issued the following day, Mr. Ryder noted that “everyone has the right to work in a safe and healthy environment, regardless of the industry they are in or the type of work that they do.”   “We can make workplaces safe by improving working conditions in factories, including carrying out regular inspections to ensure that factories comply with structural, fire and electrical safety; and by ensuring workers'' rights, especially freedom of association and collective bargaining,” the statement said.   “The ILO stands ready to assist, working with employers, workers and their organizations and all stakeholders to improve safety and health conditions in the workplace.”   The ILO also noted that despite the Philippines'' rapid economic growth, working poverty has only declined by one per cent in five years.   Issuing a separate statement, the Geneva-based UN Working Group on business and human rights noted that the Philippines fire echoed another recent tragedy at a garment factory in the region, and underscored that “the lessons of the Rana Plaza disaster have still not been learned.”   “The tragic death of factory workers, mainly women, is a stark reminder of the urgent need for action to protect workers in the garment industry, despite of the Bangladesh Accord for Fire and Building Safety, created two years ago, on the same date as the Manila shoe factory fire,” said Michael Addo, who currently heads the expert group.   The collapse of the Rana Plaza building with more than 3,000 garment workers inside in 2013 was a wake-up call for action by governments, trade unions and industry to address systemic human rights issues in the garment sector. “This week''s factory fire in Manila must strengthen our resolve to call for action to prevent such accidents from taking place,” Mr. Addo noted.   “Accidents are still happening, financing of action plans aimed at improving fire and building safety remains contentious, trade unions continue to face obstacles in registering and operating in many countries, and victims of Rana Plaza and other workplace accidents face long delays in receiving compensation.” Mr. Addo underlined.   “We urge States and the business community to be more pro-active to ensure safe working conditions for workers in the garment and textile industry, to avoid a continuous repetition of these preventable tragedies,” he stressed.   “The Working Group calls all States and businesses to take all necessary measures at the national, regional and international level to prevent future business-related harm, protect rights on freedom of association and collective bargaining, and provide for effective remedy for victims,” Mr. Addo said.   http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/safety-and-health-at-work/lang--en/index.htm http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=15965&LangID=E   24 April 2015   Ahead of World Day for Safety and Health at Work, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and hazardous substances and wastes, Baskut Tuncak, urged the global community to do more to protect workers from exposure to hazardous substances and chemicals.   “Every minute, a person dies from exposure to toxic substances at work. In addition to deaths directly linked to toxic substances, 2.3 million workers around the world suffer from occupational accidents and work-related diseases every year. We should, and can, stop this preventable disaster,” the expert emphasized.   “Workers and their families are often invisible victims, paying too high a price for many of the comforts and conveniences of modern society,” said Mr. Tuncak.   Recent projections by the UN Environment Program (UNEP) indicate that production and use of chemicals around the world are set to increase dramatically in the next five years, requiring increased vigilance of businesses and governments to protect workers from hazardous substances.   Toxic substances present a huge occupational risk for workers in virtually every industrial sector, including mining, manufacturing, construction and agriculture. These toxic substances can cause cancer, damage the reproductive and nervous systems, or cause other adverse effects that may not be visible for years, if not decades, after exposure.   “Under international human rights law, States have an obligation to realize the right to safe and healthy working conditions. Workers who may be exposed to hazardous substances have the right to be properly informed, trained and protected. Workers also have the right to refuse to work in toxic environments, which should be guaranteed without fear of reprisal,” stressed the independent human rights expert.   “Workers whose rights have been violated have a right to an effective remedy under international human rights law,” Mr. Tuncak said. “Unfortunately, workers who are harmed by hazardous substances are often unable to access an effective remedy. Prevention and precaution are essential to protecting workers’ rights.”   “Businesses have the responsibility to respect these rights and play a crucial role in the protection of workers. We need concerted efforts by both Governments and businesses to adopt stronger protective and preventive measures that will keep workers from getting injured, sick, or even dying from the effects of toxic substances.”   “Protecting workers is not only a legal and moral duty, but also an economically profitable choice,” the expert underscored. “Occupation-related diseases cause major economic losses for enterprises and societies. An estimated 4 per cent of the global gross domestic product (GDP), equivalent to USD $ 2.8 trillion, is lost annually from costs related to missed working time, treatment of occupational injuries and diseases, compensation, rehabilitation and interruptions in production,” the expert highlighted. Visit the related web page
	View more stories