When Arrow originally wrote and performed the lyrics of his famous soca song “Feelin’ Hot, Hot, Hot” he was not concerned about climate change. In the early 1980s the rapidly warming surface of the earth was not yet a major issue on the global political agenda. Not surprisingly, the musician from Montserrat focused on the more joyful theme of the “exhilaration and passion of a lively party.”
Four decades later a group of Caribbean researchers have used the words Feelin’ Hot as the title of their climate resilience project. Over the past year, local researcher Sahar Thomson interviewed 101 residents, from teachers and caretakers to youth and seniors over 65, to understand how rising temperatures are affecting daily life. Combined with satellite-based heat maps, the research illustrates how land-surface temperatures have shifted across the island and highlights the impacts on the local population.
The findings will be shared publicly on Friday at the White and Yellow Cross Care Foundation from 4:00pm to 7:00pm. This initiative deserves proper attention, not just from the population at large, but also decision-makers in government and especially business leaders.
In fact, the event could not come at a better time. Last Friday, the United Nations warned in a new report that governments and employers should take urgent action to help protect the health of workers who are increasingly exposed to extreme heat. Climate change is making heatwaves more common and intense, and workers worldwide are already experiencing the health impacts, the UN said in what it described as a “much needed” major update of a report and guidance last published in 1969.
Worker productivity drops by 2-3% for every degree above 20°C, the report said, with half of the world’s population already suffering the adverse consequences of high temperatures. The health risks include heatstroke, dehydration, kidney dysfunction and neurological disorders, said the World Health Organization and the World Meteorological Association. Manual workers in sectors like agriculture, construction and fisheries, as well as vulnerable populations like children and older adults in developing countries, were particularly at risk, the agencies added.
In some parts of the world, authorities are already resorting to the shutting down of schools, construction work and agriculture during extreme heatwaves. Higher temperatures are also likely to put additional stress on an already overburdened electricity grid.
Local decision-makers should not wait for local temperatures to reach that level to start preparing for a much warmer world. Friday’s Feelin’ Hot will be a good place to start.
