On November 19, 2024, the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C., will host an event titled “Extremes: Protecting Worker Health in a Warming World.” This gathering, organized in collaboration with the Pulitzer Center and Science magazine, aims to address the escalating health challenges that workers face due to rising global temperatures.
Among the distinguished speakers is Dr. Barrak Alahmad, a research fellow in the Exposure, Epidemiology, and Risk Program at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Dr. Alahmad brings a wealth of expertise in environmental health, with a particular focus on the impacts of extreme heat on vulnerable populations. His research has been instrumental in highlighting the urgent need for protective measures for workers exposed to high temperatures.
In anticipation of the event, Dr. Alahmad emphasized the critical situation faced by migrant workers in the Middle East, stating, “At the forefront of climate change, migrant workers in the Middle East are bearing the brunt of extreme heat. Workers are essential to our economies and communities, yet their health and safety are at grave risk. They need protections; and they need them now.”
The event will also feature insights from Aryn Baker, TIME magazine’s senior international climate and environment correspondent. Baker has previously reported on La Isla Network, on how chronic kidney disease is poised to be the black lung of climate change and the death of migrant South Asian workers in Qatar.
Also speaking will beCathy Feingold, deputy president of the International Trade Union Confederation and director of the international department at the AFL-CIO; Douglas Parker, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration; and Meredith Wadman, a staff writer at Science magazine.
Together, these experts will explore the multifaceted challenges that extreme heat poses to workers globally and discuss actionable strategies to safeguard their health and well-being. The event underscores the pressing need for comprehensive policies and interventions to protect those most vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.
For more information about the event and to register, please visit the Pulitzer Center’s official event page.
La Isla Network is an occupational health research and advisory nonprofit dedicated to ending heat-related illnesses among workers and their communities worldwide. We develop and implement data-driven worker protection and management assessment protocols to improve the resiliency of workforces and businesses to heat stress. Our work is backed by best-in-class researchers, industry leaders and government and multilateral institutions like the ILO. For more information please email in**@la***********.org .
