Cyril Cosme
Director of the French office of the International Labour Organization (ILO)
Occupational hazards associated with climate change are increasingly alarming, with the most vulnerable categories of workers particularly at risk. Deaths caused from excessive heat and other climate-related dangers, such as extreme weather events, air pollution and vector-borne diseases are on the rise, with workers in the most at-risk sectors, such as the construction industry and agriculture, hit the hardest. The impacts are greater in countries of the global south where many people work outdoors and standards of protection are inadequate.
In this interview, Cyril Cosme, director of the French office of the International Labour Organization (ILO), discusses the risks related to climate change that workers face and describes the ILO’s role in documenting these risks, drawing up standards for protecting workers and helping governments implement them, especially in countries that lack the capacity to manage these challenges alone.
