Wednesday, 18 September 2024
A new training module to help educate people about climate change and working conditions in India’s brick kiln sector has been made available online as part of an ongoing project from the University of Nottingham.
Building on successful mapping of the brick kiln industry using satellite data, the team at the Nottingham Rights Lab behind the research are now combining environmental data to further understand – and ultimately improve – working conditions.
Using climate modelling data, four key climate change impacts can be explored, and their impacts upon worker welfare can be assessed, including heat stress, water stress, precipitation, and air pollution.
All impacts are present in India, but they are more extreme in some locations than others, which will mean different impacts for workers in the kilns.
Protecting the welfare of workers is paramount, with kiln workers often facing dual risks of climate change whilst they work contributing to poor working conditions; as well as economic and social risks.
Bonded labour – where a worker is bound to an employer through debts – is common in the kilns and can lead to lack of choices. Climate change is also leading to debt exacerbation concerns as workers must adapt to more extreme weather, rather than being supported by the kiln owners.
Those on the ground working with inspectorates and civil society organisations (CSOs) educating and assisting kiln workers required methods to understand the impacts and actionable recommendations. This led to the development of the “Environmental Impacts Training Module: Assessing Risks to Workers in India” which is able to outline the risks workers across the kiln industry might be facing, how this is likely to impact working conditions, and provide recommendations to assist multiple groups (workers themselves, kiln owners, CSOs, and policymakers).
The module is currently available in English but will be produced in alternative language versions in the future to expand the access of the toolkit and its training ability. Further, the team will address the environmental impacts on workers in other geographies in future developments as the team recognises that the brick kiln industry expands further than just India.
We hope this training has a really impact for workers through the engagement of policymakers and civil society organisations; sharing knowledge on climate change impacts so workers are aware of their rights and kiln owners their responsibilities should help toward better working conditions for all."
Professor Doreen Boyd, principal investigator, Associate Director of the Rights Lab and Professor of Earth Observation at the University of Nottingham, said: "We are really pleased to launch this training module that forms part of a wider project on improving working conditions within the Brick Kiln sector of India funded by the Home Office. This module is just one of a range of approaches we are using to engage with all stakeholders of the brick industry."
By engaging with the training module, the team hope to share the knowledge accumulated on kilns and their working conditions to a wide audience and provide actionable recommendations to improve worker welfare in the long-term.
The training module can be accessed here.
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More information is available from Faith Pring in the Press Office on faith.pring@nottingham.ac.uk
Faith Pring - Media Relations Manager
Email: faith.pring@nottingham.ac.uk
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