February 4, 2022
Workers in tropical regions facing increasing dangers due to deforestation
Findings from a new University of Washington study suggest that rising temperatures due to climate change are responsible for increased fatalities and heat-related illnesses in outdoor workers in lower-latitude tropical forests.
The study focuses on Berau Regency, Indonesia, as this region has experienced significant deforestation and subsequent warmer temperatures over the past several years. They found that the increased heat exposure combined with the intensity of outdoor labor led to a significant number of workers experiencing heat exhaustion, kidney and other traumatic injuries and death in the worst cases. As the effects of climate change continue to increase exponentially, temperatures in this region are predicted to continue rising, resulting in an approximately 20% increase in worker deaths in Berau in the future.
Researchers hope that this information becomes part of a greater conversation on balancing human health with economic gain and the environment while impacting future climate change adaptation for areas such as Berau that experience intensified climate warming due to deforestation.
This project was supported in part by a Population Health Initiative pilot research grant.