ESG: how heat stress impacts health

Engagement in health and climate change reached its highest level in 2021, with 38% of corporations referring to the association between health and climate change in their COP (Communication of Progress) report. With climate change and health being firmly on the agenda at COP27, the 2022 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: health at the mercy of fossil fuels highlights the extent to how the climate crisis is impacting public health globally.

As the climate crisis deepens it is seriously impacting the general population’s health as the World Health Organization powerfully presented in a statement, Climate change is already killing us, but strong action now can prevent more deaths, by WHO Regional Director for Europe, Dr. Hans Henri P. Kluge at COP27:

“Climate change and the crises it has triggered have long been clear health emergencies. WHO and partners have long sounded the alarm, but action has been dangerously inconsistent and far too slow. In the WHO European Region, just this past summer, we witnessed an escalation of heatwaves, droughts and wildfires, all of which have impacted the health of our people.”

The Lancet report looks at the statistics and data behind climate change – providing us all with a fuller picture of heat stress during climate change.

While many of us know our planet is warming, we are less aware of how climate change is affecting humidity. Humidity is a measure of how much water vapor is present in the air, and warmer air holds more water. Climate change is shifting humidity patterns, making some areas more humid, and some areas less humid. This is important because extreme heat and humidity can be a lethal combination. The key term to know is “wet-bulb temperature” - a combined measure of temperature and humidity.

Sweat cools us down when it evaporates, regulating body temperature. This can also make us dehydrated, putting pressure on our internal organs. Chronic heat stress can lead to kidney failure and heart problems.

At 100% relative humidity, the air is fully saturated with water so that sweat won’t evaporate. We can’t regulate body temperature and cool down. Even people used to working in the heat can’t do normal outdoor activities past a wet-bulb temperature of 32°C. At a wet-bulb temperature of 35°C, people won’t survive even with shade or water.

Heat waves affecting the health and well-being of employees also mean they have deep financial ramifications for businesses. In 2021, heat exposure led to the loss of 470 billion potential labor hours, a 37% increase from the period 1990–99. It’s estimated the global potential loss of income from a reduction in labor capacity due to extreme heat was USD669 billion in 2021.

“Your whole economic model changes at a certain temperature,” Cervest’s Founder and CEO, Iggy Bassi, told The Financial Times. Iggy witnessed severely hot conditions first-hand while managing a farm in Ghana, “On extreme heat days, we knew ahead of time we had to change all of our labor rotas,” he says. “Beyond a certain temperature, the human body cannot work because the outside humidity is so high.”

Extreme heat impacts more than health. Building materials expand, causing damage to buildings, roads and infrastructure. If it’s hot enough, tarmac starts to melt. Metal rusts faster, with big implications for concrete structures internally reinforced with steel. The foundations of buildings are vulnerable to subsidence and soil shrinkage, particularly in clay areas.

“Climate change is leading to an increase in average global temperatures and in the frequency, intensity, and duration of heatwaves,” cites the Lancet report. There are many repercussions from heat stress for health, society, and the economy – transcending all three boundaries of environmental, social and governance.

There are ways that ESG leaders can build climate resilience into operations. That’s where EarthScan™ comes in. Organizations can use Cervest’s science-backed climate intelligence (CI) product to analyze their entire portfolio of assets and their supply chains for potential heat stress and other climate hazards – making informed decisions on adaptation. Each asset is graded through Cervest Ratings™, which helps to identify the most vulnerable assets quickly and clearly. Investing in an EarthScan can help ESG managers take the targeted interventions needed to build organizational climate resilience and protect its workers, now and in the future.

Health and life sciences consultancy, Lexica are using EarthScan, to help British healthcare providers understand the climate-related risk affecting their assets and operations. Lexica will leverage Cervest's climate intelligence to screen and analyze the climate exposure of critical infrastructure assets such as hospitals, medical clinics, and other healthcare facilities across the UK. With the UK Health Security Agency projecting that the number of heat-related deaths will triple by 2050 – and hotter summers are becoming the norm – it has never been more critical to have access to trusted climate intelligence for your climate-risk strategy.

Download our free ebook to discover how climate intelligence can transform your ESG strategy and help your organization build climate resilience.