Workers struggle with heat as Europe records largest exposure increase – report

More workers are being exposed to heat stress across the world due to climate change, with Europe and Central Asia experiencing the largest rise in excessive heat exposure in 20 years, according to a report from the International Labour Organization (ILO). In Europe and Central Asia, the region extending from Portugal to Afghanistan’s eastern border with China, 29 percent of workers were temporarily exposed to heat stress in 2020, a 17 percent increase compared to 20 years earlier. The report, which compared exposure to heat stress across different regions between 2000 and 2020, found that 4,200 workers lost their lives during heatwaves in 2020 and 231 million workers were exposed to the phenomenon that year, a 66 percent increase over 20 years. Heat stress can lead to health problems in the short term causing heat stroke, and in the longer-term it can lead to serious heart, lung and kidney issues.

The report also found that heat stress is negatively affecting economic output, particularly for low and middle-income countries, for which the costs can reach 1.5 percent of national GDP. The ILO estimated that improved safety and preventative measures to reduce excessive heat stress in the workplace could save up to 361 billion U.S. dollars per year. “Excessive heat poses unprecedented challenges for workers around the world all year round, not just during intense heatwaves,” ILO director-general Gilbert F. Houngbo said. “This is a human rights issue, a workers’ rights issue and an economic issue, and middle-income economies are bearing the biggest brunt. We need year-round heat action plans and legislation to protect workers, and stronger global collaboration among experts to harmonise heat stress assessments and interventions at work.”

Europe is the fastest warming continent in the world, and both it and Germany are unprepared for current and predicted temperature rises that climate change will bring. A risk assessment published by the European Environment Agency in 2024 found that the continent and the European Union already face critical climate risks to their ecosystems, food, health, infrastructure, and economy and finance, which “could become catastrophic without urgent and decisive action.” Germany is set to face economic damages of up to 900 billion euros by 2050 from climate change, according to a recent report. Last year, the Federal Association of Physicians of German Public Health Departments called for a midday siesta-like break for workers to protect them from excessive heat.