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Do you know when the hottest day ever recorded on Earth was? Last week.
July 22, 2024, marked the highest global average temperatures ever recorded since NASA began keeping records in the 1800s. The previous hottest day on record? Sunday, July 21, 2024.
Every single month for more than a year straight, we’ve seen global temps hit record highs for that month. The past 10-year stretch has been the hottest decade in modern climatological history.
This is an “unprecedented streak,” according to NASA scientists, and we know exactly why it’s happening: Human-caused climate change has added an extra 26 days of extreme heat that otherwise would not have taken place, according to a new international report.
Tragically, working in the food system amplifies the risk of heat-related illness and death. For agricultural workers, the risk of heat-related mortality is as much as 35 times higher than in other industries, according to an analysis in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine. Heat exposure can also cause other complications ranging from muscle cramps to heat stroke and aggravate existing conditions like diabetes and mental health challenges.
And many countries—including the United States—have no national-level policies in place to ensure that employers are protecting workers from worsening heat.
In July, the U.S. Department of Labor proposed a new rule regarding unreasonably hot working conditions, but it has not yet been formally adopted and enacted. The proposed rule would require employers to develop prevention plans that include providing drinking water, rest breaks, worker control of indoor temperatures, and assistance acclimating new employees to higher temps. This would protect about around 36 million workers in both indoor and outdoor settings.
It’s shameful that many food system workers across the globe are not shown even basic levels of care when it comes to heat. This should go without saying, but a job in the food system should not threaten workers’ lives or livelihoods!
“Every significant heat-safety regulation in America at the state and now federal level was written in the blood of farm workers,” said United Farm Workers President Teresa Romero. “This proposal is a step towards becoming a better nation — one in which our economy is more resilient, our society more just, and every worker able to work with dignity and come home to their family.”
Another reason excessive heat is so insidious for food system workers especially is that some may feel trapped in poor working conditions, whether due to lack of economic resources or out of fear of retaliation, discrimination and harassment, and even deportation.
“Many times, we don’t leave to cool off, (even) for a short while,” said Eulalia Mendoza, who picked cucumbers in temps spiking to 105–115 degrees (41–46 C) in a California greenhouse. “It’s not because we wouldn’t want to (take a break and cool off), but because we’re scared that they would dismiss us. We don’t have an option. That is the reality.”
We have seen success stories: Several countries and regions around the world have enacted heat protections for workers. Last year, the European Commission issued new guidance requiring employers to consult directly with workers and representatives on heat management and provide access to drinking water, shaded areas, and rest breaks. In China, employees must be allowed to work for fewer hours and at a lower intensity during hot days, and in South Africa, employers are required to take a variety of preventative steps.
These were hard-won victories, and often the result of workers standing together and raising a collective voice. When it comes to making change and fighting for workers’ rights, organized pressure works!
In the U.S. and around the world, countless advocacy groups are fighting for farmworkers’ rights and food justice, and the Decent Work for Equitable Food Systems Coalition was formed last year by three international agencies to address challenges facing food system workers. Labor groups like the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, United Farm Workers, and many more are creating real, impactful political momentum.
It is simply unacceptable for governments and corporations to prioritize profit and politics over the actual health of people and the planet. Every single day, those in power must stand up for the well-being of folks in fields, greenhouses, processing plants, and restaurant kitchens who—quite literally—put food on our tables.
When policymakers and leaders say they want to support rural communities and working folks, we have to hold them accountable. Are they taking meaningful action to slow the climate crisis and protect workers stuck in unreasonably hot environments? Or is it all just a bunch of hot air?
Let’s talk more solutions, success stories, answers to these questions. Share your ideas with me at danielle@foodtank.com. I look forward to hearing from you.
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Photo courtesy of Tim Mossholder, Unsplash
