Future of Work at the Intersection of Climate and Equity

Abstract

Climate sustainability prioritizes meeting the 1.5°C Paris Agreement limit by 2030 and challenging anthropogenic links to carbon emissions. This chapter examines the future of work (FOW) impacted by disparate factors like poverty, climate impacts, digital technology access, inequitable policies, capital access, and that “sustainability is interdisciplinary.” FOW upskilling, the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), and related inequities in emerging and established economies have singular and cumulative effects on Black, Brown, and Indigenous populations. This analysis uses data and case examples from the UN 17SDGs, the Brundtland Report concept of sustainability, industry surveys, and current grey literature. Climate affects every sector. Further acknowledgement and research are needed for 1.5°C hurdles and human-centered disparities and tradeoffs to shape meaningful public policy, impacts of rapidly adjusting to new automated and algorithm-based industry occupations, and minimizing systemic impediments to future of work for Black, Brown, and Indigenous around the world.