India is projected to lose 5.8 per cent of working hours in 2030, a productivity loss equivalent to 34 million full-time jobs, due to global warming, particularly impacting agriculture and construction sectors, a report by the UN labour agency said.

According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO) report titled Working on a Warmer Planet: The Impact of Heat Stress on Labour Productivity and Decent Work, by 2030, the equivalent of more than 2 per cent of total working hours worldwide is projected to be lost every year, either because it is too hot to work or because workers have to work at a slower pace.

“Projections based on a global temperature rise of 1.5 degrees C by the end of the 21st century, and also on labour force trends, suggest that, in 2030, 2.2 per cent of total working hours worldwide will be lost to high temperatures - a productivity loss equivalent to 80 million full-time job,” the report said.

It said that the accumulated global financial loss due to heat stress is expected to reach $2.4 trillion by 2030. “If nothing is done now to mitigate climate change, these costs will be much higher as global temperatures increase even further towards the end of the century,” the report said.

Heat stress is defined as generally occurring at above 35 degrees Celsius, in places where there is high humidity. Heat stress affects, above all, outdoor workers such as those engaged in agriculture and on construction sites. Excess heat at work is an occupational health risk and in extreme cases can lead to heatstroke, which can be fatal, the ILO said.

How will India be affected?

The region projected to lose the most working hours is South Asia, at 5 per cent in 2030 (around 43 million jobs). A third of the South Asian countries have already incurred losses greater than 4 per cent, it said.

India, which lost 4.3 per cent of working hours in 1995 because of heat stress, is projected to lose 5.8 per cent of its working hours in 2030, which correlate to 34 million jobs.

The impact of heat stress on labour productivity and decent work anticipates an increase in “heat stress” resulting from global warming.

The report projects losses in working hours as 9.04 per cent in agriculture, 5.29 per cent in manufacturing, 9.04 per cent in construction and 1.48 per cent in services.

Although most of the impact in India will be felt in the agricultural sector, more and more working hours are expected to be lost in the construction sector, where heat stress affects both male and female workers.

Globally, the two sectors projected to be hit worst are agriculture and construction, with agriculture worse affected.

How are countries tackling the crisis?

The intensity of temperature increases can vary within countries, and the impact can be especially high in cities. The urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon refers to urban or metropolitan areas that are significantly warmer than surrounding rural areas as a result of the absorption of solar heat by buildings and roads, and also as a result of human activities.

Most of UHI effects have a negative impact on local economies. These negative effects include increased energy consumption (notably in cooling systems), elevated emissions of air pollutants, compromised human health and comfort and deterioration of water quality.

It is therefore important that policymakers should adopt measures to tackle the UHI effect.

In the US, several cities have implemented a variety of strategies to reduce the UHI effect. These strategies include the installation of cool roofs and cool pavements, which use special sunlight-reflecting materials, and increasing the urban tree canopy.

In 2014, the municipal authorities of Los Angeles approved an update to the existing building code so as to require all new and refurbished homes to have cool roofs. The materials used in cool roofs are designed to mitigate the UHI effect by reflecting more sunlight and absorbing less heat than a roof made of standard materials.

Similarly, the authorities in Phoenix, Arizona, have launched a ‘Cool Roofs Master Plan’ and a ‘Tree and Shade Master Plan’, which envisage the installation of cool roofs and the planting of trees to mitigate heat effects in the city’s metropolitan area.

The evaluation of these initiatives shows that the combination of increased tree canopy cover and cool roofs lowers temperature and reduces the demand for air-conditioning, thereby enhancing energy efficiency and further reducing heat levels.

Ahmedabad incorporated a cool roofs initiative into its 2017 Heat Action Plan, notably by providing access to affordable cool roofs for the city’s slum residents and urban poor. The initiative aims to turn the roofs of at least 500 slum dwellings into cool roofs, improve the reflectivity of roofs on government buildings and schools, and raise public awareness.

In Singapore, the Skyrise Greenery initiative, launched in 2009, has successfully turned the country into a “city in the garden” and mitigated the UHI effect by planting rooftop and vertical greenery. There are currently more than 200 such projects in the country, covering 100 hectares of skyrise greenery and projected to cover 200 hectares by 2030.

Various Australian cities have also acknowledged the importance of the UHI effect and implemented strategies to tackle this problem.

For example, in Ballarat, Victoria, an action plan has been adopted that sets out principles and ideas on urban planning with a view to supporting urban greening and improving local water management. The action plan focuses on the concept of a “green-blue city”, which involves recreating a natural water cycle while facilitating urban greening and supporting healthy green infrastructure. It includes initiatives designed to increase tree canopy cover, improve green infrastructure and reduce heat-related risks for the most vulnerable groups in the population.

ILO

The ILO is a UN agency whose mandate is to advance social justice and promote decent work by setting international labour standards.

It was the first specialised agency of the UN. The ILO has 187 member states: 186 of the 193 UN member states plus the Cook Islands are members of the ILO. The tripartite structure is unique to the ILO where representatives from the government, employers and employees openly debate and create labour standards.

The International Labour Office is the permanent secretariat of the ILO. It is the focal point for ILO’s overall activities, which it prepares under the scrutiny of the governing body and under the leadership of the director-general.

In 1969, the ILO received the Nobel Peace Prize for improving fraternity and peace among nations, pursuing decent work and justice for workers, and providing technical assistance to other developing nations.