Global warming cannot be denied

It was the young Swedish activist Greta Thunberg who first rang the alarm bells in 2018. She went on strike – as a schoolgirl – and took up position at the Swedish parliament. She did so to draw attention to climate issues, demanding that politicians finally implement the decisions made by the Paris climate summit. Her action was followed worldwide, including in Belgium. Schoolchildren went on strike and demonstrated, confronting politicians with their unwillingness or inability to take action on the climate. At the very least these young people succeeded in pushing the issue higher up the political agenda.

Water emergency and flood
Two years ago, a tidal wave washed through the Belgian regions around Liège and Verviers. What started as heavy rainfall turned into a water bomb and Wallonia and part of Limburg faced severe flooding that caused enormous human suffering and material damage. There were also floods with similar impact in Germany and Austria. Since then, these extreme weather events have become a recurring phenomenon. In 2023, Libya, Italy, Spain, the Balkans, Scandinavia, Australia and Canada all faced massive flooding. By the time the ink of this book dries, many more countries and regions will have been added to this list.

There have also been more forest fires in recent years. Southern Europe is simultaneously plagued by heatwaves as well as flooding. This should be a wake-up call for us all: the effects of global warming are a global problem. In the summer of 2023, temperatures up to 45°C were recorded
in Spain and tourists had to be evacuated from Rhodes because authorities could not control the forest fires.

The rest of the world is also suffering because of global warming. The huge bush fires in Australia in 2020 and the severe fires in California in 2022 are etched on our minds. There was also a terrible fire disaster in Hawaii in August 2023.

The fact that sea levels are slowly but steadily rising and that ice at the polar ice caps is melting is contradicted only by hard-nosed climate deniers. Islands and coastal communities are already feeling the direct effects of climate change. In addition to rising sea levels, many islands and archipelagos are being plagued by extreme weather conditions. Such as Tuvalu in the central Pacific. Sea level rises there could make the island uninhabitable within the next 50 years.

Head in the sand or action?
We can of course, spurred on by figures like Donald Trump, bury our heads in the sand and deny that these undeniable natural phenomena are happening. Or we can refuse to admit that it is because of human behaviour that we are dealing with the warming of our planet. That would be an enormous folly. A better, or in fact the only, alternative is to face the harsh reality head-on and try to do something about it. More and more people are gradually becoming convinced of the latter course of action. All of these climate problems do not stop at the borders of one country or continent, and therefore need to be tackled on an international scale.

The UN climate panel issued another clear warning in March 2023. We can still avert a true climate disaster, but it will be all hands on deck to make it happen. It will require a revolution. If we pull out all the stops between now and 2030, we can still straighten out a lot of the issues, but it will require the mobilisation of all possible resources and without the slightest hesitation. It’s not just me saying that, but United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has also said the same thing. In July 2023, Guterres stated that we are no longer in a period of global warming, but have entered an era of global boiling. The earth is not warming, but boiling.

Numerous factors cause the problems: polluting industry, industrialised agricultural practices and others. And we have to admit it, the transport economy is also part of the problem. But it is also part of the solution.

Transport is part of the problem…

Of all the sectors involved, the transport sector in Belgium is the one that produces the most greenhouse gases. It is also one of the few sectors whose emissions have increased over the past 30 years.

Road transport
This increase is largely due to road transport, which accounted for 98.1 per cent of total land transport emissions in 2019. Inland waterway navigation accounted for only 1.6 per cent of emissions and rail transport for 0.3 per cent. A modal shift clearly remains a priority.

Shipping
Amsterdam city council recently decided to ban cruise ships. Every year, around 100 such ships dock at the cruise terminal at Amsterdam Central. By the way, when I was in Australia in 2022, I saw the same kind of floating hotels moored in Sydney. There was a broad majority of opinion in favour of that decision in Amsterdam city council. One study has found that just one of these huge jumbo cruise ships emits as much nitrogen as 31,000 trucks making a round trip on Amsterdam’s ring road. Venice also took measures against cruise ships two years ago and saw its CO2 emissions reduce by 80 per cent.

Air transport
According to Greenpeace, flying is the form of mobility that causes most harm to the climate. The official emissions figures circulating about aviation (‘barely 2 per cent of total emissions’) are misleading, they say. First of all, the effects on the climate caused by flying are broader than just CO2 emissions. There are also emissions of nitrogen oxide (NOx) to consider. These non-CO2 effects are twice as bad as the impact that CO2 has on global warming alone. Commercial aviation accounted for 5.5 per cent of all man-made global warming in 2018. At the same time, aviation is one of the fastest-growing causes of CO2 emissions.

A report recently published by Greenpeace shows that low-cost airlines such as Ryanair and Wizz Air are not only big polluters, but they are also champions of the anti-social. Consumers may have become accustomed to cheap city trips over the past decade, but the race to the bottom comes at a price here, too. And not just for the climate. Working conditions in the aviation sector have also deteriorated in recent years, due to the rise of low-cost carriers such as Ryanair. And so once again we end up with social dumping.

We are well aware of the anti-unions attitude of Ryanair CEO, Michael O’Leary. As recently as 2012, he said that “hell had to freeze over” before he would recognise unions. Meanwhile, under pressure from industrial action, he has since been forced to recognise unions in a number of countries and make agreements with them. All this is against his will, that much is clear. Yet he is still taking a kicking and during summer 2023, Ryanair pilots in Belgium went on strike. Despite intimidation from management and the use of every possible anti-union practice, pilots had the courage to stand up for their rights and stopped work for several days.

Hans Elsen of the ACV Pulse union explained why the pilots went on strike during the summer season: “The pilots disagree with the cancellation of a collective labour agreement regulating working and rest times. They are also demanding wage restoration, after giving up 20 per cent of their pay during the pandemic.”

During the ETF Congress in Budapest in 2022, the ETF was still campaigning against Wizz Air’s anti- union practices.

Low-cost airlines use every loophole in the book to be as competitive as they can be and to keep prices as low as possible. This obviously affects the workers themselves, who are the first victims of these practices The same low-cost companies are also trying to ban their workers from joining a union. This is illegal, of course, but there is still plenty of pressure on workers not to join up. In addition, many aviation workers, especially in Eastern Europe, are self-employed and therefore have limited social protection. Yet these same airlines often receive significant direct or indirect local or regional subsidies. Even in Belgium, for example, Ryanair is treated with velvet gloves.

Although aviation is ‘only’ responsible for about 4 per cent of the European Union’s total greenhouse gas emissions, according to European Parliament figures from 2021, CO2 emissions in the sector are growing steadily. Greenhouse gas emissions from international aviation and shipping have increased rapidly over the past three decades, due to an increase in both trade and passenger numbers.

International shipping generates 3 per cent of global CO2 emissions and accounts for 90 per cent of all freight transport.

… and part of the solution

Thanks to the Green Deal – a project from European Commissioner Frans Timmermans – Europe is getting serious about cutting CO2 emissions. Although the deal was delivered in a watered-down version, initiatives are nonetheless being taken.

From sustainable fuels in shipping…
Ships from 5,000 tons upwards will be covered by the European Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). From 2024, 40 per cent of CO2 emissions must be paid for, from 2025 70 per cent and from 2026 100 per cent. Ships therefore need to use less and cleaner fuel in the short term. Emissions can already be reduced immediately by taking technical measures, according to research firm CE Delft. There are some ships being fitted now with auxiliary sails that are capable of using the wind in addition to their engine. CO2 emissions can also be saved by sailing more slowly and using less polluting oil. Eventually, shipping will have to switch to sustainable fuels.

Meanwhile, the world’s largest container shipping line, the Danish company Maersk, has ordered 25 ships that can run on methanol. Methanol is ‘green’ if it is made from the hydrogen produced by renewable electricity. The ships are hybrid and so can still run on fuel oil and diesel as well.

… to affordable public transport
Affordable, efficient and sufficient public transport with sustainable means of transport is one of the solutions to cities that are clogged by traffic jams caused by people who have to use individual means of transport to get to work. Buses are perfectly capable of running on electricity or hydrogen. And one bus alone can carry more than 50 passengers. So, if applied across the board, that could keep many hundreds of cars off the road. Clearly, we should not only fight for public transport in the interest of the workers in these sectors we represent, but also if we want greater sustainability.

The challenge facing unions in general, and transport unions in particular, is who will foot the bill for the solutions worked out to meet climate challenges. Transport workers should not have to pay the price for the climate crisis! Who will cough up the money needed to invest in sustainability? The ordinary man and woman in the street? Or will the polluters be collared and those who make (excessive) profits from their lucrative economic activities without incorporating sustainability? Will the bill be passed on to the taxpayer or to the shareholder?

It goes without saying that money will be needed to combat climate change. This will only be possible by levying taxes: not on labour, but on assets and financial transactions. And what about working people who will lose their jobs due to the winding down of highly polluting industries?

If the transport sector is part of the problem, it also means that we can be part of the solution. For example through accelerated innovation.

We need to encourage and motivate employers to invest in sustainability, as well as in electric trucks and the use of hydrogen as fuel. After all, we’re talking about the future of the industry we work in. Continuing to rely on old fossil fuels is not forward-looking. Innovation is needed if our industry is to survive.

It is clear that the climate challenge is just one of the problems facing us. The fact that transport plays an important role as a cause is equally clear. Nevertheless, that should not necessarily lead us to be pessimistic. Because however big and all-encompassing the issue may be, there are just as many opportunities out there waiting to be taken.

As a Danish union leader and a human being, it makes me proud when global Danish companies are the frontrunners in the green transition, creating hope for rapid leaps towards a sustainable world.

When Danish windmills from Vestas are raised in the USA and Australia. When Orsted and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners are investing billions of Danish krone in windmill farms and distribution of green power. And when the global Danish giant Maersk is restructuring its global fleet with 25 new vessels able to sail on green methanol. These are all good and visual signs of changes in business models globally.

But unfortunately, not everything is sustainable under the surface. Unfortunately, I and other Danish trade union leaders cannot just relax, be proud, and wait for Danish investments to contribute to global green transition.

Maersk, Vestas, and Orsted have all signed good collective bargaining agreements for their workers in Denmark, as well as global codes of conduct. But that is not always the same as good and sustainable behaviour globally. This must be changed. And it can only be changed by international cooperation and international union work.

That’s the reason why I, my union, and the ITF have been facilitating a series of meetings between American and Australian unions to solve a lot of unexpected labour disputes about CBAs and agreements for transport workers. And this is the reason why the ITF and its affiliated unions still have a ton of work to do keeping an eye on Maersk’s fleet, ports globally, and how the seafarers and workers are treated.

Green transition and green promises sound good when presented by global companies. But words are not enough, as green goals and results do not alone create sustainable business models and fair and decent behaviour towards workers.

The UN has created 17 binding Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Even though the focus is often on the green transition, we shouldn’t forget the importance of education, health, social protection, and employment in that transition. Because, ultimately, all these goals are connected.

Green transition cannot stand alone. The world needs transition and restructuring of the economy to become sustainable. It is equally important that all people are ensured a proper education and the training they need. It is equally important that we can all have a decent life and job. Everybody should be guaranteed a decent future.

That is why we need unions and global union work in the transitions to come. We must act as active and constructive partners to ensure fairness and sustainable goals. For the climate and for people. For workers. For the environment as well as for the social balance. The goals are binding for all of us.

This is why the UN goal number 17, active partnerships, is particularly important. Green and sustainable transition demands active involvement, equal partnerships, and balanced compromises from all of us. And as unions we must be ready and stand behind a clear promise: The transport workers guarantee that we are all ready for the next years of transition, development, and change. All we ask in return, is to be heard and invited to join the work and cooperations needed to handle the global and national climate business and transport policies.

Climate change must not get out of hand. Transport workers are one of the guarantees that this will not happen – when we are actively involved in the dialogue to create a new and fair deal for all.