ILO studying impact of climate change on labor markets

The International Labor Organization is currently conducting its first full-scale analytical research on the impact of climate change on labor markets, its head said in a recent interview in Tokyo with Kyodo News.

Juan Somavia, director general of the ILO, declined to elaborate on the research, saying that it is still "in the beginning phase."

The research is aimed at facilitating the ILO`s "Green Jobs" initiative which promotes labor policies and economic activities that can help reduce energy consumption, restore ecosystems, and minimize pollution in workplaces, as well as policies that can help transfer labor to low-carbon industries.

Somavia warned that adapting to climate change will require workers and employers to "change consumption and production patterns."