Inequitable Distribution of Heat Exposure Risks Driven by Trade

Abstract

The exposure to extreme heat at workplaces may result in great risks to the involved labour. This issue becomes more prominent due to the global dispersion of labour-intensive work via trade. Here we combine a high-resolution climate model with an input–output model to investigate the exposure to extreme heat at work due to global trade. We find an 89% surge in trade-related labour exposure to extreme heat, escalating from 221.5 to 419.0 billion person-hours between 1995 and 2020. The lower-middle-income and low-income economies constituted 53.7% and 18.3% of global exposure, while only 5.7% and 1.0% in global labour compensation. In countries highly susceptible to extreme heat conditions, workers could spend up to about 50% of their working hours in heated conditions. Our findings uncover the disproportionate trade effects in redistributing global benefits and costs, which leads to the inequality in heat exposure between rich and poor economies. In striving for equitable and safe work conditions and social justice, workers vulnerable to heat extremes should be protected through the development of climate adaptation infrastructure in developing economies, especially those engaged in international trade.