DeepSummary
The podcast discusses the threats that climate change poses to outdoor workers, particularly the health risks and financial implications of increased exposure to extreme heat. Dr. Rachel Licker, a senior climate scientist, explains how her research analyzed the potential impact on outdoor workers across different occupations, regions, and climate scenarios.
The key findings highlight that without climate action, outdoor workers' exposure to extreme heat would quadruple over the next few decades, putting billions of dollars in earnings at risk. Meeting the Paris Agreement goals could limit these risks, but mandatory protections like the proposed Asuncion Valdivia Heat Illness and Fatality Prevention Act are necessary to safeguard workers from heat-related illnesses and fatalities.
The episode also discusses the unique vulnerabilities faced by undocumented workers and the need for multilingual communication and access to healthcare. Adaptation measures like adjusted work schedules and workloads can help, but aggressive action on climate change is crucial to prevent the situation from worsening further.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Climate change and increasing extreme heat events pose significant threats to the health and financial well-being of outdoor workers across various occupations.
- Without climate action, outdoor workers' exposure to extreme heat is expected to quadruple over the next few decades, putting billions of dollars in earnings at risk.
- Meeting the Paris Agreement goals of limiting global warming could help mitigate these risks, but mandatory protections like the proposed Asuncion Valdivia Heat Illness and Fatality Prevention Act are necessary to safeguard outdoor workers.
- Adaptation measures like adjusted work schedules and workloads can help outdoor workers stay safe, but there are practical limits to these measures.
- Aggressive action on climate change through emissions reduction is crucial to prevent the situation from worsening further.
- Undocumented workers face unique vulnerabilities and are at higher risk due to factors like fear of retaliation and lack of access to healthcare.
- The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the vulnerabilities faced by essential workers, drawing parallels to the challenges faced by outdoor workers during extreme heat events.
- Multilingual communication and access to information on heat-related illnesses and prevention measures are essential for protecting all outdoor workers, including those who do not speak English as their primary language.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “Outdoor workers are among the people most exposed to extreme heat in our country.“ by Rachel Licker
- “If we don't act on climate change, outdoor workers exposure to extreme heat would quadruple over the next few decades, which would risk $55.4 billion in outdoor worker earnings across the country.“ by Rachel Licker
- “The average outdoor worker in the United States at mid century, if we don't take action on climate change, would risk losing more than $1,700 in earnings each year due to extreme heat.“ by Rachel Licker
- “The COVID pandemic really put a spotlight on worker conditions. We saw that essential workers had to show up and choose between, again, their health, their safety in a paycheck.“ by Rachel Licker
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Episode Information
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KKFI Community Podcasts
8/17/21