On November 5 2026, Safe Work Australia (SWA) held a research webinar on the occupational health and safety (OHS) context of global warming/heating. This continued this year’s OHS theme, promoted by the International Labour Organisation. SWA will develop a strategy on the issue and can already draw on ILO research and frameworks, but OHS has very little political clout. Global warming has only slightly more. Addressing this existential risk will require significant, rapid change in social structures, purposes, and political policy. OHS has an important role to play, but the scale of climate change means that workplace safety interventions alone will never be enough.
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