In recent years, the pervasive reach of climate change has begun to subtly yet significantly alter the landscapes of our professional lives, dictating not just how we work but increasingly where we work. This evolution touches a broad spectrum of sectors, from agriculture, where changing weather patterns demand new farming techniques and locations, to the technology sector, which sees a growing demand for innovations that can counteract the effects of a warming planet.
Dr Ben Hamer is an accredited futurist, recently awarded the number one thought leader for the Future of Work in the Asia-Pacific. Formerly the Head of Future of Work at PwC Australia, Ben has undertaken work and research around the world, including time spent leading critical projects at the World Economic Forum as well as being a Visiting Scholar at Yale University. In this article he delves into the multifaceted ways in which climate change is reshaping the global workforce, compelling businesses to adapt to new environmental realities and influencing the migration of jobs and skill sets to regions once considered peripheral in the economic landscape. As we stand on the brink of these transformative shifts, understanding the nexus between our changing environment and our changing workplaces is more crucial than ever, not only for the sustainability of our economies but for the future of work as we know it.
Climate change is afoot as the world is heating up. And wasn’t 2023 a belter? In Australia, we had our hottest summer on record. It’s not just about sweating through the sun-drenched season either. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology just released their forecast for an unusually warm winter, predicted to be the country’s hottest on record.
It’s a similar story for Europe. Not only did they just have their hottest summer ever, but places like Barcelona were forced to open climate shelters, where people could escape the extreme heat and access free drinking water to stay hydrated.
Temperatures will continue to rise in the future. We’ll have more frequent and severe heatwaves, as well as changes in precipitation patterns, which means more intense droughts and floods. And without some drastic action, current climate policies are projected to increase global warming by 3.2 degrees by 2100. This will affect everyone differently, but especially those who live in places that are susceptible to extreme heat. Today, that figure is 0.9 per cent of people globally. But according to the University of Exeter, more than one in five of us will live in extreme temperatures by 2100, which scientists define as an average temperature of 29 degrees Celsius or above. At that level, temperatures are expected to exceed 40 degrees for 75 days of the year. Ouch!
All of this costs money, meaning climate change is not good for the hip pocket. Today, the world is paying $16 million every hour for climate-related damage and has been doing so since the turn of the century. And one of the big things it is impacting is work.
For example, let’s look at Spain. In 2023, it was so hot that some types of outdoor work were banned. Street cleaners and farm workers were told to down tools during periods when a red or orange heat warning was issued. This came after there were almost 62,000 deaths in Europe in 2022 that were related to heat, and more than 11,300 of them were in Spain. A couple of countries over to Greece where Athens has taken action by employing the city’s ever first Chief Heat Officer to help understand the impacts of, and respond to, climate change.
Globally, heat stops 675 billion hours of work every year, which is equal to 1.7 per cent of global GDP. And by 2030, 2.2 per cent of working hours worldwide will be lost to extreme heat, which is equivalent to 80 million full-time jobs. In 2020, labour loss in sectors exposed to heat, like agriculture and construction, cost the US economy $100 billion alone, a figure which could reach $500 billion annually by 2050.
Of course, there are a whole heap of other consequences too. For example, one study has found that pregnant women who work in extreme heat can double their risk of having a miscarriage or stillbirth.
It’s for reasons like these that the Extreme Heat Resilience Alliance is bringing together insurers, investors, policy-makers and business leaders to help prepare workers for the changing climate, considering ideas like altering the standard working day from 9 am to 5 pm to 6 am to 2 pm instead. Not so great news if you’re not a morning person like me. But naturally, this will see changes not just in core office hours, but be extended to when schools will be open as well as retail operating hours.
Beyond the health impacts on workers, it is likely that as climate conditions change, some industries will need to relocate, like agricultural jobs shifting to regions with better weather conditions or coastal businesses moving inland due to rising sea levels.
It’s not all bad news though. Businesses will need to adapt to tighter environmental regulations, which will see the need for more professionals who are experts in compliance and environmental law. And it will drive demand in the renewable energy sector, spurring growth in green technologies and the jobs that come with it.
Either way, one thing is clear. Climate change is not something that is happening in isolation. It will have (and is having) wide ranging impacts on the way we live, work and play, which will see fundamental shifts in how and where we work.
Ben explores the impacts of climate change on the culture of work and the trends of the future at: https://benhamer.space
Cover photo: © The Ocean Image Bank
