'Too Hot To Work' Workshop Explores Solutions for Climate Change Impacts on Labor

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The #TooHotToWork campaign was inspired by 2023 Pulitzer Center Ocean Reporting Fellow Aryn Baker’s film, Too Hot To Work: How Qatar Offers Lessons for the Economy of a Heating Planet. Launched in April, Thailand's hottest month, and coinciding with the country's Labor Day, the campaign aimed to emphasize the crucial connection between climate and labor for the Thai audience.

Following the productive Bangkok Climate and Labor Dialogue in February 2024, which brought together various stakeholders to exchange insights from their fields, we organized a participatory workshop on May 2. This event gathered a diverse group of participants, including academic, private sector representatives, media professionals, and labor union members, to address the labor challenges posed by climate change in Thailand.

The workshop aimed to foster in-depth discussions about current issues and ongoing initiatives, promoting innovative solutions tailored to the unique needs of the labor sector. Participants engaged in structured conversations and brainstorming sessions to identify actionable strategies that could mitigate the adverse effects of climate change on the workforce.

During the workshop, participants identified several problems that contribute to the workforce being impacted by climate change. One significant issue is the capitalist influence on government policy, which often prioritizes profit over environmental concerns. This profit-first approach can hinder meaningful action against climate change. Additionally, the media's perception of the issue tends to render it uninteresting to the public, further diminishing the urgency needed for a collective response. Lastly, while workers are increasingly aware of their rights, many lack the necessary mobilization skills to effectively advocate for change, which limits their ability to address these pressing challenges.

Participants came up with ideas that they think are feasible in the near term. They include: 

• Involving the public in bringing climate change concerns to the attention of policymakers and governors; this platform could serve as a valuable data source for future policy and corporate interventions
• Launching a social media campaign to heighten awareness of how climate change affects labor well-being, using popular platforms like TikTok
• Crafting narratives about workers whose lives have been altered by climate change
• Corporate Climate Auditors who could focus on evaluating corporate practices and internal policies to ensure they support the health and well-being of workers
• Incentives and benefits from the government that could engage the public in climate change promotion and initiatives; this may include electric bill discounts, the first EV car discount, etc.

We also launched a digital campaign under the same title, collaborating with various content creators, including a Bangkok street cleaner with over 300,000 TikTok followers, environmental advocates, and labor unions.

We provided a toolkit featuring information and visual assets from the Pulitzer Center's Our Work/Environment initiative to influencers and thought leaders, aiming to raise awareness about the impact of climate change on workers. Our strategy was to share this toolkit during Thailand’s hottest month, April, and around the nation's Labor Day on May 1.

Feedback from one participant: 

“We got to talk and discuss what is happening and what we can do to tackle it. What I will do is to advocate [for workers] by telling my boss and people in power what the issue is, and requesting them to adjust [some working conditions].” — Pattaramon Tocharoen, content creator and Bangkok street sweeper. 

As a result, from April 30 to May 6, 2024, over 20 social media posts and one blog were published, discussing the intersection of climate change and labor as part of the #TooHotToWork campaign. The combined reach and engagement across platforms included 42,829 views, 4,072 likes and reactions, 389 shares and reposts, and 46 comments as of June 5, 2024.

Moreover, our efforts have significantly amplified discussions about worker welfare in Thailand. For example, the Workers’ Union, a Thai NGO that participated in the workshop, has since pursued this issue further by interviewing outdoor workers and publishing its own findings.

Finally, conversations on better protection for outdoor workers were ignited with some people sharing their ideas, including:

• “[There] should be a policy or solution for this or at least increasing an allowance [for outdoor workers].”
• “Labor laws must adjust the types of dangerous work, in addition to the heat from machines, such as increasing heat from the air, pollution from the sun, and working outdoors. There must be a schedule for more breaks than usual. There must be a welfare of water/cold towels for workers in which some countries already have [implemented].”
• “In summer, work should be divided into shifts. If it is very hot in the afternoon, thus, [the workers] should not work. [The workers] should work again in the evening until night. The nature of the work [should be] considered. If it is loud work, do it in the morning. … Work that is not loud, do it from 5 to 6pm onwards. No drama, please. I just sympathize with the workers.”

Photos from the workshop

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