Tord Kjellstrom, Nicolas Maître, Catherine Saget, Matthias Otto and Tahmina Karimova, Trang Luu, Adam Elsheikhi, Guillermo Montt, Bruno Lemke, Antoine Bonnet, Marek Harsdorff, Chris Freyberg, David Briggs and Angela Giannini, Working on a Warmer Planet: The Impact of Heat Stress on Labour Productivity and Decent Work, 2019, pp. 103, International Labor Office, ISBN 978-92-2-132967-1 (print).

The book Working on a Warmer Planet has a mainstream focus on heat stress on labor productivity and decent work. The ILO’s 2019 publication is very important to climate change advocacy and socioeconomic analysis. Heat stress is both an environmental and occupational hazard with major implications for global labor markets, according to the report. Climate science, occupational safety, and labor economics are integrated into a comprehensive framework that emphasizes the problem’s urgency and solutions. The importance of the above content and the required basic understanding of climate change make it difficult for the common reader to follow the context in this book. Although the book has followed common words and is easy to understand, it makes a sincere attempt to bring this topic up for discussion. The book will definitely expand the boundaries of the readership of heat stress on labor productivity and decent work in various streams of science and humanities.

According to the introductory sections, if global warming is kept to 1.5__degreesignC, it is expected to increase the frequency and severity of heat stress, depriving people of 80 million full-time jobs by 2030, or 2.2% of all working hours worldwide (p. 13). Heat stress is also positioned in the introduction as a critical issue for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN, particularly those on health, poverty alleviation, and decent work. Chapter 1 focuses on “Heat Stress and Decent Work”. The heat stress, which can result in heat exhaustion, diminished physical capacity, and potentially fatal heatstroke, is defined in the first chapter as heat received in excess of the body’s ability to maintain thermal equilibrium (p. 17). Temperature, humidity, radiant heat, wind speed, and other physiological and environmental factors that increase risk are explained in detail. This chapter highlights how vulnerable workers, especially those in construction and agriculture, as well as women, older workers, and migrant laborers, are disproportionately affected. By pointing out that most impacted people reside in low-income tropical nations, it also links these effects to more general social justice issues (p. 19).

Chapter 2 is based on the “Global Overview”. This chapter estimates heat exposure quantitatively using the wet bulb globe temperature index (p. 21). Productivity losses are estimated by the ILO using labor market data and climate projections from the IPCC Representative Concentration Pathways. By 2030, it is anticipated that the 1.4% of working hours lost to heat stress in 1995 will increase to 2.2% under the assumption of shaded work or 3.8% if work is done in direct sunlight. According to the report, the impacts will be unevenly distributed, with high-latitude regions experiencing negligible losses and Southern Asia and Western Africa expected to lose over 5% of total working hours (p. 27). Chapters 3–7 follow the theme of regional analyses, while the regional chapters analyze the incidence, forecasts, and sectoral breakdowns for the Americas, Asia and the Pacific, Africa, the Arab States, and Europe and Central Asia. According to Chapter 3 (p. 39), heat stress is expected to result in GDP losses of up to 4% in the worst-affected countries in Africa, where agriculture is the primary source of employment. Heat stress is linked to chronic kidney disease in the Americas, according to case studies that show serious health effects among Central American sugarcane workers (p. 45). Due to their reliance on construction, which frequently uses migrant labor, the Arab States are extremely vulnerable (p. 53). High population densities and reliance on agriculture will cause the biggest productivity losses in Asia and the Pacific, particularly in Southern Asia (p. 59). Despite having overall less impact, Europe and Central Asia are increasingly at risk from extreme heat events (p. 70).

The adaptation through government regulation, employer practices, international labor standards, and worker engagement is covered in Chapter 8 (p. 73), which follows “Adapting to Heat-Related Hazards”. The Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No. 155) of the ILO is mentioned as a crucial tool for directing national reactions. It is emphasized that the collaboration between employers, workers, and governments is a crucial instrument for customizing workplace adaptation plans. The steps include investing in cooling technologies, modifying work schedules, and creating areas with shade. Chapter 9 focuses on the mitigation efforts. The long-term decreases in heat stress are linked to mitigating climate change in the last thematic chapter (p. 83). In addition to stopping additional temperature increases, mitigation generates jobs in environmentally friendly industries. According to the report, if aggressive mitigation is not implemented, the economic losses resulting from heat stress will continue to increase after 2030, potentially jeopardizing the stability of the global GDP.

The advantages and contributions of this book are the interdisciplinary approach, which blends economic analysis, occupational health science, and climate modelling, which is its strongest point. It makes the topic relatable to both policymakers and the public by striking a balance between macroeconomic forecasts and case studies at the micro level. It places heat stress in the context of the larger development agenda by relating its findings to the SDGs. While the restrictions are the use of more gender-specific data to more accurately evaluate the disparate effects. The risks in poorly ventilated indoor workplaces are somewhat understated by the emphasis on outdoor sectors. Furthermore, the report’s 2030 time horizon examines the longer-term post-2050 implications, even though it is realistic for policy planning.

All things considered, Working on a Warmer Planet is a well-researched and pertinent work for policy. It recasts climate change as a major threat to decent work and economic stability rather than just an environmental problem. The report is a vital resource for governments, labor unions, and researchers dedicated to protecting workers in a warming world because of its data-driven analysis and useful suggestions. Its message is clear: In the face of rising global temperatures, proactive adaptation and mitigation are crucial to safeguarding worker rights, productivity, and health.

ORCID iD

Arun Kumar  https://orcid.org/0009-0001-3730-3801

Arun Kumar

Assistant Professor
Department of Economics
Zakir Husain Delhi College (Eve.)
University of Delhi, India

arunkkumar@zhe.du.ac.in