Workplaces need heat policies to stop employees’ body temperatures from reaching dangerous levels, a major report from the United Nations’ health and weather agencies said.
After the hottest year on record in 2024, extreme heat is “for many, a case of adapt or die,” Johan Stander of the World Meteorological Organization told reporters at a press conference Thursday.
More than 2.4 billion workers are exposed to workplace heat stress, according to the International Labour Organization, putting them at greater risk of heat stroke, kidney and cardiovascular disease. The U.N. labor agency also estimates that heat stress leads to more than 22 million occupational injuries and almost 19,000 fatalities every year.
Artificial climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, is causing more frequent and intense heat waves. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, every additional 0.5 degree Celsius of global warming significantly raises the risk of longer and worse heat waves.
