Featuring Juanita Constible of the NRDC and Dr. Juley Fulcher of Public Citizen.
Dr. Fulcher and Juanita connect climate change, working conditions, rising heat, healthy work standards and worker's rights. Dr. Fulcher reminds listeners that rising temperatures are often overlooked, but are in fact a greater cause of death than hurricanes and other natural disasters. Unfortunately, our essential workers are most deeply impacted by these dangerous working conditions and rising temperatures. Due to segregation in America, the majority of essential workers who are negatively impacted by climate change are black and brown folks.
Extreme heat is associated with heatstroke and heat exhaustion, but heat can actually kill you in 27 different ways. Heat is one of the biggest and most imminent health risks to worker and human health. Heat can also lead to irritable and dangerous behavior, tick-borne diseases, and cholera and waterborne illnesses.
Juanita and Dr. Fulcher unpack the workers who are most at risk, including oil rig workers, farmers, construction workers, landscapers, sanitation workers, postal carriers, package delivers, first responders, and most recently, healthcare workers in full PPE.
Heat is not the only risk factor or extreme weather event for our essential workers, they are at risk of chemical spills, flooding, trauma, PTSD, and beyond.
COVID-19 also plays a big part in essential worker health, safety and social equity. Our essential workers, like our farmworkers who are experiencing some of the highest rates of infection, are at great risk for serious COVID complications. Additionally, many of these vulnerable populations and essential workers live in multigenerational homes, raising the risk of exposure for elders.
Gender equity and LGBTQ+ rights also play rolls in worker rights and safety. The wage gap is still present and widened by race. And at-home work generally continues to fall on women’s shoulders, so women are not only overworked and underpaid in the field, but also disproportionately affected at home. LGBTQ+ folks have less access to safe healthcare and thus are at greater risk.
Dr. Fulcher and Juanita close by speaking about the solutions and encourage listeners to come together in policy, community, and action.
