UN sees "epidemic"

More and more people are working in extreme heat

More and more people will have to work in extreme heat.

(Bild: Andreas Tröster)

Climate change is making work more difficult and dangerous for billions of people. This is reported by the International Labor Organization (ILO). In Europe and Central Asia, the proportion of people exposed to excessive heat at work is low in a global comparison. However, it has increased more than in any other region of the world over the past 20 years, reports the ILO.

This involves working outdoors, for example in fields or on construction sites, but also in factories or in protective suits, such as those worn by firefighters. Every year, almost 22.9 million accidents occur due to heat at work, 19,000 of which are fatal. 26.2 million people live with chronic kidney problems because they do not drink enough at work. From 32 degrees heat, a heavy worker has to drink 0.85 liters of water per hour.

Proportion of those affected is rising steadily
In 2020, 29% of workers in the Europe and Central Asia region were exposed to excessive heat at times. The region stretches from Portugal to Afghanistan and the western border of China. According to ILO figures, this is 17.3 percent more than 20 years previously. In all other regions of the world, the proportion was already significantly higher in 2020 and has risen less sharply.

The largest proportion is in Africa, where 90.2 percent of people are exposed to excessive heat at work at times, followed by the Arab states with 83.6 percent. In total, 2.4 billion people worldwide are confronted with such heat.

Breaks and cool places
Among other things, the ILO recommends removing heat sources from buildings and building factories in such a way that less heat enters, as well as shade trees, ventilation or water sprays. Employers should promote fitness programs because people with a robust cardiovascular system can tolerate heat better. They should allow plenty of breaks and provide sufficient drinking water and toilets everywhere.

UN sees "epidemic of extreme heat"
According to the UN, humanity is suffering from an "epidemic of extreme heat" of its own making. "One thing that unites our divided world is the fact that we are all getting hotter and hotter," said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in New York on Thursday. Billions of people are "facing an epidemic of extreme heat and are stewing in increasingly deadly heatwaves with temperatures of over 50 degrees Celsius", he added.

Southern Europe in particular is currently being hit by a heatwave.

(Bild: AP)

This is "halfway to boiling point", said the UN Secretary-General and called for action to limit the impact of the increasing heatwaves caused by climate change. The world must "rise to the challenge of rising temperatures", said Guterres and called on the G20 countries in particular to take action. The UN Secretary-General also recalled the deaths of more than 1000 pilgrims during the Hajj (alternatively: Hajj) in Saudi Arabia in June.

Temperature records fall one after the other
According to the EU's Copernicus Earth Observation Program, 21, 22 and 23 July 2024 were the three hottest days ever recorded worldwide, with the 22nd holding the absolute record with an average temperature of 17.16 degrees Celsius.

2023 was the warmest year since records began. 2024 could be another record year - with temperatures of well over 40 degrees Celsius becoming more frequent.