ANNOUNCEMENTS
Heat stress is a significant manifestation of anthropogenic climate change. Prolonged exposure to extreme heat, either due to occupational reasons or other needs, may lead to heat stress; symptoms may include dizziness, fatigue and a general inability to perform work in a productive manner – under extreme circumstances, due to lack of emergency treatment, it may also lead to death. Several occupations including, but not limited to, agriculture and construction, are particularly at risk.
Heat stress events are expected to become more common due to global warming. In this context, this thesis investigates the relationship between increased heat stress and labour productivity – specifically focusing on urban, informal workers in the construction industry of Delhi, India. Due to absence of direct productivity observations, however, seasonal absenteeism rates are considered as a proxy for labour productivity. The final estimates predict a significant, positive relationship between the variables, i.e., after controlling for extraneous variables, heat stress results in higher rates of absenteeism thus decreasing labour productivity.
These declines are expected to significantly impact income levels for poor, marginalised members of our society. A simple extrapolation of costs based on daily wage data revealed that overall losses each summer may amount to INR 10 billion each year, representing an overall economic burden proportionate to 0.09 percent of Delhi’s gross domestic product. While difficulties remain due to the inherent informalities associated with the sector at large, adaptation measures must be adopted widely if productivity losses are to be avoided due to the rising frequency and duration of heat stress events.
