Southeast Asian outdoor workers face rising heat risks with limited protections
Quick Look
Southeast Asia's rising temperatures, increasing by 0.14 to 0.2 degrees Celsius per decade since the 1960s, are endangering outdoor workers, particularly in construction, agriculture, and platform sectors, as many lack flexible schedules and heat protections, according to an Asian Development Bank report.
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Why It Matters
Southeast Asia has experienced rising annual mean temperatures since the 1960s, with increases of 0.14 to 0.2 degrees Celsius per decade, according to an Asian Development Bank report released in June.
Oil palms younger than three years offer little shade, so he tends them in the early mornings and evenings, spraying pesticide, applying fertiliser or weeding. “We try our best to avoid going to the plantation around noon,” Chung said.
He carries extra drinking water and, as a smallholder, decides when to slow down or change his hours.
But not everyone shares that luxury. Many construction, agriculture and platform workers across Southeast Asia lack that flexibility because employers or output determine their schedules.
Southeast Asia is getting hotter, with the annual mean temperature rising by 0.14 degrees Celsius (0.25 degrees Fahrenheit) to 0.2 degrees per decade since the 1960s, according to an Asian Development Bank report in June.
Many Southeast Asian cities lacked adequate heat risk assessments, and regulations protecting outdoor workers from extreme heat were either weak or unenforced, the report said.
Open Questions
- What specific heat protection regulations exist in Southeast Asian countries?
- How many outdoor workers are affected by extreme heat in the region?
- Are there any planned interventions to improve heat safety for workers?
