In order to lessen and prepare for the effects of climate change, governments should take additional steps to ensure universal social protection, according to a recently released International Labour Organization (ILO) research.
“Governments are failing to make full use of the powerful potential of social protection to counter the effects of the climate crisis and support a just transition,” according to the World Social Protection Report 2024-26.
The research also reveals that the nations with the lowest levels of social protection are frequently ones that are most susceptible to the consequences of climate change.
According to the research, for the first time, more than half of the world’s population (52.4%) is covered by social protection. It further stated that this is an increase from 42.8% in 2015, the year the Sustainable Development Goals were enacted.
However, the research states that the majority of children worldwide (76.1%) continue to lack adequate social protection coverage.
The research argues that “it is time to up the ante” and significantly invest in social protection, calling for swift and comprehensive governmental action to close protection gaps.
“Climate change does not recognize borders, and we cannot build a wall to keep the crisis out. The climate crisis affects us all and represents the single, gravest, threat to social justice today,” said Gilbert F. Houngbo, ILO Director-General.
“Many of the countries experiencing the most brutal consequences of this crisis are particularly ill-equipped to handle its environmental and livelihood consequences. We must recognize that what happens to impacted communities will affect us all”, he added.
Gilbert said, “Universal social protection is top of the list of tools that we have at our disposal to help us ensure that the climate crisis does not deepen existing inequalities and exclusion in affected communities.”
By offering social protection benefits like access to healthcare and economic stability, social protection may aid people in adjusting to and managing shocks associated to climate change, he said.
