Rising temperatures threatens the health and lives of workers around the world, UN report finds

Forget the claim that climate change only affects future generations. As you are probably aware of, the effects of our pollution crisis can already be felt around the world. Just take this example.

According to a new report from the UN agency the International Labor Organization (ILO), almost 70 percent of the world's workers are already exposed to excessive temperatures at work. According to the report, this is a nine percent increase since the year 2000. And the problem will continue to worsen as global warming accelerates, the ILO-report warns.

"As the world continues to grapple with rising temperatures, we must protect workers from heat stress year-round. Excessive heat is creating unprecedented challenges for workers worldwide year-round, and not only during periods of intense heatwaves, said ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo in a press release. 

The report finds that workers in Africa (93 percent), followed by the Arab states (83.6 percent) and Asia and the Pacific (74.7 percent) are among the worst affected by increasingly intolerable temperatures. But regions in Europe and North America that have previously been unaccustomed to extreme heat will also face increased risks. The reports detail how these regions have already witnessed the largest rise in workplace injuries from heat stress since the year 2000, with increases of 33.3 per cent and 16.4 per cent respectively. The findings in this report build on a previous UN-report, published in April earlier this year, which indicated that excessive heat alone causes 22.85 million occupational injuries and the loss of 18,970 lives each year.

“If there is one thing that unites our divided world, it’s that we’re all increasingly feeling the heat. Earth is becoming hotter and more dangerous for everyone, everywhere. We must rise to the challenge of rising temperatures – and step up protections for workers, grounded in human rights,” explained the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres.