Reflections of Global Climate Change on Labor Productivity and Employment: Green Jobs as a Social Policy Measure

Year 2024, Volume: 48 Issue: 3, 717 - 748, 27.09.2024

Gökhan Murat , Belemir Şengül

Abstract

The industrialization process has changed the understanding of production in which the human factor comes to the fore and has made the use of energy resources such as coal and oil widespread. Excessive use of fossil resources, deforestation, land use and changes in land use have triggered climate change, caused environmental destruction, rapid depletion of natural resources and degradation of biodiversity. The effects of climate change are not only limited to temperature increases, but also lead to extreme weather events such as droughts, floods, severe hurricanes, and risks that disrupt the ecosystem such as ocean and sea level rise. In addition to all these impacts, human communities are also at serious risk. The result of these effects has caused many irreversible losses, especially human deaths. These negative developments have begun to seriously threaten the life and future of all living things, especially humans, and have caused the human factor to encounter many problems in social and economic terms.
While these problems vary from injustice to poverty, from employment to migration, and from labor productivity to the country's economy, the scope of the study focuses on problems arising from employment and labor productivity and seeks solutions to the problems. Many studies have found that with climate change, there will be decreases in working hours, especially in the hottest months of the year, and will have negative effects on labor productivity. While climate change is expected to have negative effects on GDP and employment, it has been observed that there may also be differences on a sectoral and regional scale. At the point of proposing solutions to the identified problems, green businesses, which produce goods and services independent of fossil fuels, have come to the fore. Green jobs; It is defined as decent work that is environmentally friendly, fully protects the ecosystem, and develops and improves its conditions. In this context, the aim of the study is to examine the development process of the climate crisis and its effects on employment and labor productivity. The answer to the question of whether green jobs can be implemented as a social policy measure in solving the possible negative effects of the climate crisis on employment has been sought. In the study, domestic and foreign literature was scanned and the quantitative and qualitative effects of green jobs on employment were examined and their importance as a social policy tool was mentioned. As a result, it has been determined that countries that engage in activities for green jobs, produce policies, and improve the skills and qualifications of their employees increase their employment rates.

Keywords

Climate Change, Employment, Unemployment, Labor Productivity, Green Jobs

Küresel İklim Değişikliğinin İşgücü Verimliliği ve İstihdam Üzerine Yansımaları: Bir Sosyal Politika Önlemi Olarak Yeşil İşler

Abstract

Endüstrileşme süreci insan faktörünün ön plana çıktığı üretim anlayışını değiştirmiş, kömür ve petrol gibi enerji kaynaklarının kullanılmasını yaygınlaştırmıştır. Fosil kaynaklarının aşırı kullanımı, ormansızlaştırma, arazi kullanımı, arazi kullanımında yapılan değişiklikler iklim değişimini tetiklemiş çevresel tahribata, doğal kaynakların hızla tüketilmesine, biyolojik çeşitliliğin bozulmasına sebep olmuştur. İklim değişikliğinin yarattığı etkiler ise sadece sıcaklık artışı ile sınırlı kalmazken kuraklık, sel, şiddetli kasırga gibi aşırı hava olaylarına, okyanus ve deniz seviyesi yükselmesi gibi ekosistemi bozan risklere de yol açmıştır. Tüm bu etkilerin yanı sıra insan toplulukları da ciddi risk altındadır. Bu etkilerin sonucu insan ölümleri başta olmak üzere birçok geri dönülemeyecek kayıpların yaşanmasına neden olmuştur. Yaşanan bu olumsuz gelişmeler başta insanlar olmak üzere tüm canlıların yaşamını ve geleceğini ciddi şekilde tehdit etmeye başlamış, sosyal ve ekonomik açıdan da insan faktörünün birçok sorun ile karşılaşmasına yol açmıştır.

Bu sorunlar adaletsizlikten yoksulluğa, istihdamdan göçe ve işgücü verimliliğinden ülke ekonomisine kadar farklılaşırken, çalışma kapsamında istihdam ve işgücü verimliliği kaynaklı sorunlara odaklanılmış ve sorunlara yönelik çözüm arayışı içerisine girilmiştir. Yapılan birçok araştırmada iklim değişikliği ile özellikle yılın en sıcak aylarında çalışma sürelerinde azalmalar yaşanacağı ve işgücü verimliliği üzerinde olumsuz etkiler yaratacağı tespit edilmiştir. İklim değişikliğinin GSYH ve istihdam üzerinde de olumsuz etkilerinin olması beklenirken, sektörel ve bölgesel ölçekte de farklılıkların olabileceği gözlemlenmiştir. Tespit edilen sorunlara yönelik çözüm önerisi noktasında ise fosil yakıtlardan bağımsız mal ve hizmet üretiminin yapıldığı yeşil işler ön plana çıkmıştır. Yeşil işler; çevreye duyarlı, ekosistemi tamamı ile koruyan, içinde bulunduğu şartları geliştiren ve iyileştiren insan yakışır işler olarak tanımlanmaktadır. Bu bağlamda çalışmanın amacı iklim krizinin gelişim sürecini ve istihdam ile işgücü verimliliği üzerindeki etkilerini incelemek üzerine gelişmiştir. İklim krizinin istihdam üzerindeki muhtemel olumsuz etkilerinin çözümünde ise yeşil işlerin bir sosyal politika önlemi olarak uygulanabilir mi sorusuna cevap aranmıştır. Çalışmada yerli ve yabancı literatür taranarak yeşil işlerin istihdam üzerindeki nicel ve nitel etkileri incelenmiş ve sosyal politika aracı olarak öneminden bahsedilmiştir. Sonuç olarak yeşil işlere yönelik faaliyetlerde bulunan, politikalar üreten, çalışanların beceri ve vasıflarını geliştiren ülkelerin istihdam oranlarını artırdığı saptanmıştır.

Keywords

İklim Değişikliği, İstihdam, İşsizlik, İşgücü Verimliliği, Yeşil İşler

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