Work in a Warming World
When climate change gets professional
We’re back from summer vacation and wowza is it hot out there! As we write this, NYC, where we’re based, is in its 5th heat emergency of the summer, and it's a stark reminder that climate change is a palpable reality impacting our daily lives, our communities, and, increasingly, the culture of work.
This month, we're sipping cool drinks in the shade and dedicating the entire issue to exploring how the world of work is responding to our changing climate. From the profound human impact of climate migration to the psychological toll on our workforce, and the innovative ways organizations and communities are stepping up, we’re looking at how work can be a powerful lever for both adaptation and transformation. After all, the mindset that burns out workers is the same one burning up the planet. Change one, change both.
Let’s dive in.
Work, Climate, and Our Shared Future
From supply chains to hiring practices, the intersection of climate and work culture is where some of the most important conversations are happening right now.
Climate Migration and Business Responsibility: Human Rights at a Crossroads in 2025, by Impact Policies (read here)
Climate migration is something most businesses are still figuring out (or ignoring), but it's a present reality reshaping labor markets around the world. This piece by Impact Policies cuts through the usual corporate sustainability fluff to address the human rights issues unfolding as people move due to climate impacts. The authors make a compelling case that businesses need legally grounded, rights-based strategies that protect displaced workers, moving beyond feel-good CSR. Think fair recruitment practices, safe working conditions, and making sure green projects respect land rights. It's a crucial reminder that environmental impact is always human impact.
Consider pairing with an ice-cold lavender lemonade, and: The IOM and UNHCR's "Train-to-Hire" Initiative (read here), which shows what concrete action looks like when it comes to creating dignified work opportunities for climate migrants.
Rehumanizing Work: Beyond Belonging
Building truly human-centered workplaces means acknowledging the full range of human experience, including the climate anxiety that more and more people are bringing to work every day.
Burning Out Burning Up (photo credit François Top)
Burning Out and Burning Up: How Climate Distress Reshapes Workplaces, by Carin Isabel Knoop (read here)
That background stress your team's been feeling? At least some of it might be climate distress, especially if you’re in one of the many areas of the world experiencing regular heat emergencies, climate-induced forest fires, or extreme storms. This article tackles something most workplace wellness programs completely skip: the psychological toll of living through environmental chaos. If you ask your coworkers what's got them stressed, they might not answer "cascading climate emergencies," but Knoop makes the case that acknowledging this very real background experience is essential for building truly psychologically safe workplaces.
Pair with chilled strawberries in tarragon sugar (just throw brown sugar and fresh tarragon into a blender, then top strawberries with the mix) and: "Coping strategies for climate change anxiety" from BMJ Mental Health (read here), which offers actual solutions for transforming climate anxiety into productive action through positive psychology interventions.
Designing Tomorrow's Work: Vision, Values, and Action
Image from FSG - Reimagining Social Change
Advancing Just Transitions: Four Considerations for Funders, by FSG (read here)
Everyone talks about the shift to a sustainable economy like it's inevitable (because it is), but what gets less attention is whether that shift will be fair, and what, exactly, “fair” means. This piece breaks down how to make climate transitions actually work for the people most impacted by them. The authors lay out how to move beyond theoretical frameworks using practical examples, like Germany's coal phase-out versus South Africa's more gradual approach, or Costa Rica's Citizens' Climate Change Advisory Council that brings together everyone from indigenous women to labor organizers. It's a roadmap for ensuring that our move toward sustainability actually creates equitable opportunities rather than just shifting who gets left behind.
Consider accompanying with the ultimate summertime treat from The Philippines, Halo-Halo, as well as: "Degrees of Change: Innovations in the Fight Against Extreme Heat" from Ford Foundation (read here), which showcases how cities and worker advocacy groups are pioneering practical solutions like 24/7 cooling centers and heat protection standards.
Experiments in Emergence
Changing the Game: Community-based strategies and climate mitigation, by Redstone Strategy Group for MacArthur Foundation (read here)
We know, the scale of what’s needed in the face of climate change can feel overwhelming, but some of the most effective climate solutions are coming from the grassroots up, not the top down. We love the comprehensive new MacArthur-commissioned report that clearly breaks down how community-led climate efforts are delivering massive impact at surprisingly low cost. One case that caught our eye was the example of Maine's community-driven heat pump program that hit its 100,000 installation target two years early. The report also highlights how local groups are making renewable energy projects actually happen: community advocates in New York helped secure offshore wind farms that will power 600,000+ homes, while the Moapa tribe in Nevada partnered with developers to create a solar farm that now provides ongoing revenue and clean energy for 180,000 households.
What makes this report particularly compelling is how it quantifies something we've long suspected: that community-based strategies often deliver better returns on investment than top-down approaches while simultaneously building local power, creating jobs, and improving public health. The data shows many of these efforts cost less than $1 per metric ton of CO2 avoided (in other words, they prevent one ton of carbon emissions for less than a dollar), which is incredible considering the co-benefits. So if you've been wondering how to get involved in climate action that actually makes a difference, this might be your invitation to start looking at what's happening right in your own community.