Fiddling with a climate response while our workers face the heat

News: Meteorologists are predicting that temperatures will rise above 50°C across much of South Asia, owing to less rainfall than usual in this period.

Extreme heat and high humidity can prevent human sweat from evaporating, reducing the body’s ability to cool down, this condition is called ‘Wet-bulb’ temperature. Several Indian cities have recently experienced wet-bulb temperatures of close to 30°C. If it exceeds 35°C, then spending even a few hours outside in the shade with no physical activity can lead to death.

What are the implications of increasing heat for India?

The central government has asked state governments to take measures to prevent deaths due to heat waves and fire incidents. However, the available measures are not sufficient.

National Action Plan on Heat-Related Illnesses does not focus on protecting people from heat exposure. Instead, it outlines relatively minor strategies for dealing with the consequences.

Also, these measures are ineffective for employees who are engaged in informal activities with no legal or social protection. They have to come out for work or sleep hungry, as we have seen during covid times.

An International Labour Organization (ILO) report on heat stress and work states that agriculture and construction sector would be worst affected in terms of deteriorating conditions and working-time losses, due to global warming. But the hundreds of millions of Indians who work such jobs typically have no choice but to keep doing them.

The unpaid work of hundreds of millions of women and girls in India has been ignored even by ILO report. They have to go to fetch water for daily household use to faraway places. Now, as the scorching heat may dry up existing surface water sources and reduces groundwater supplies, they will have to walk long distances.

What should be done?

Governments have to be the main drivers of adaptation to higher temperatures. Universal social protection and occupational safety can be provided even for informal work.

Source: This post is created based on the article “Fiddling with a climate response while our workers face the heat” published in Live Mint on 16^th May 2022.