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Unifor is calling on the Canadian government to prepare for expected extreme weather events this fall in the Global South with changes to Canada’s immigration and refugee policies.
Scientists tell us the time to act on climate change is now. Meteorological agencies are warning us that 2022 will see higher than average incidence of hurricanes, flooding and wildfires affecting Latin America, Africa and other regions of the Global South.
The Climate Crisis is a human crisis; it is driving population displacement and making life harder for those already forced to flee.
We are urging Canada to recognize the increasing problem of environmental displacement and migration, and to be ready to provide humanitarian assistance and resettlement in Canada.
Unifor is making the call to mark Nelson Mandela International Day on July 18 and to take on the 2022 Mandela Day Challenge to limit global warming and secure a viable future for our planet.
“Do what you can with what you have where ever you are”
The warnings are dire:
- The UN High Commission for Refugees states that an annual average of 21.5 million people have been forcibly displaced by weather related events since 2008, and these numbers are now expected to surge.
- The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has predicted that we will see the seventh consecutive above-average hurricane season with up to 21 named storms and 10 hurricanes in the Atlantic.
- The World Meteorological Association has warned that a stubborn La Niña in the equatorial Pacific will prolong the ongoing drought and famine in the Horn of Africa, and result in above average rainfall and flooding in south-east Asia.
These threats come on top of the brutal climate disasters in recent years, both globally and within Canada. Emergency action to cut greenhouse gas emissions cannot be delayed. But we must also be ready to take care of the millions affected by climate disasters, including workers in industries vulnerable to climate-related effects.
Since its founding, Unifor has been inspired by the revolutionary example and vision of Nelson Mandela that provides inspiration and fortitude to Unifor members in their daily activism and struggle for a better world, and to the work of the Unifor Social Justice Fund.
In June, Unifor’s Secretary Treasurer met with Siyabulela Mandela, great-grandson of Nelson Mandela, to discuss Unifor’s support for Journalists for Human Rights and their work assisting journalists to secure safe passage from Afghanistan, while supporting youth leadership in South Africa.
At each Constitutional Convention, Unifor’s highest award is given in honour of Nelson Mandela for the advancement of human rights and social justice. Recipients include General Romeo Dallaire, Senator Murray Sinclair and Jean Augustine. The 2022 Nelson Mandela award will be presented at Unifor’s 2022 Convention in Toronto this August to Alejandra Morales Reynoso, General Secretary of the Mexican independent automobile union, SINTTIA, who led the historic struggle to establish a democratic union at the General Motors plant in Silao, Mexico.
