What Do We Know? Reviewing the State of Knowledge on Climate, Work and Employment in Canada

This paper presents the results of the first national ‘state of expert knowledge’ study of the impact of climate change on work and employment in Canada. Climate change is defined as recent changes in climate attributable to human activity. The What do we know? project, led by Lipsig-Mummé with Canadian academics, trade unionists and private sector labour market analysts, explores the state of knowledge about the complex interaction between climate change, response to climate change, and work and employment in Canada, in six economic sectors between 1995 and 2010. The sectors are: construction, energy, forestry, transportation equipment, postal services, and tourism. The paper begins by setting out the three international debates which shape the issue and its research. Second, it discusses its unusual research methodology. Third, the paper summarizes the research findings. Fourth, it identifies holes, silences, and next research questions on the climate/work relationship.