As the world gets hotter, millions of workers face up to the challenge of heat stress and productivity losses

Published

2 years ago

July 5, 2023

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Europe was gripped by punishing heat waves in the summer of 2022, with wildfires, droughts and deaths highlighting what many around the world already know: Weather extremes can have devastating, real-world consequences.

When it comes to temperatures in warmer months, the direction of travel seems to be going one way.

The U.K.’s Met Office is projecting that summers in the country will be between 1 and 6 degrees Celsius warmer by 2070, and as much as 60% drier. It adds that global heat waves linked to climate change are likely to increase. Just this week it said last month was the U.K.’s hottest June on record.

The overall picture is challenging. In May 2023, the World Meteorological Organization said there’s “a 98% likelihood that at least one of the next five years, and the five-year period as a whole, will be the warmest on record.”

Sectors bearing the brunt

Fox and his co-authors are not alone in highlighting the difficulties of a hotter world.

In 2019, the International Labour Organization published a report which contained some sobering details.

“The economic losses due to heat stress at work were estimated at US$280 billion in 1995,” the U.N. agency said.

This, it added, “is projected to increase to US$2,400 billion in 2030, with the impact of heat stress being most pronounced in lower-middle- and low-income countries.”

The ILO’s report also highlighted which sectors would likely bear the brunt of rising average temperatures.

Workers in Italy picking grapes, August 2022. People who work outdoors are expected to be significantly affected by rising average temperatures.

Marco Bertorello | AFP | Getty Images

Those working in construction and agriculture, it said, were “expected to be the worst affected, accounting for 60 per cent and 19 per cent, respectively, of working hours lost to heat stress in 2030.”

Heat stress is a serious matter. The ILO describes it as referring to “heat received in excess of that which the body can tolerate without physiological impairment.”

Other outdoor jobs may be affected, too. In his interview with CNBC, Fox highlighted the potential challenges faced by workers in oil refineries, gas plants and chemical works.

All the above roles, he said, involve “quite a lot of external activity,” with workers also needing to wear personal protective equipment, or PPE, thanks to the nature of their job.

“This clothing can be quite cumbersome … and quite hot to wear, even under cold conditions,” Fox said.

That in turn makes employees “particularly at risk or vulnerable to … these sort of conditions.”

Factories are another area of concern. Fox noted that buildings of this type haven’t particularly been designed with heat ingress — especially extreme heat ingress — in mind.

“They’re full of equipment that’s generating a lot of heat, and it’s very difficult for factories, buildings, big warehouse buildings, to passively cool themselves,” he said.

Air conditioning is common in offices, but that’s not the case everywhere, he added.

Fox noted that office buildings in countries with temperate climates, like the U.K., “can get quite hot” because not a lot of air-conditioning had been installed.

Tackling the problem

The overall situation appears grave. For many, preparation and adaptation will be crucial.

The IMechE says this will involve “changes to the design of buildings, infrastructure and other physical assets and systems, both with regard to those that already exist and those that are yet to be built or manufactured, as well as the work, educational, leisure and other activities that humans undertake.”

In a statement issued alongside its report in April, the organization said it also wanted an urgent update to “guidance related to heat impacts on the workforce” so firms can come up with plans and enact changes in their working environments.

At the time, Laura Kent, the IMechE’s public affairs and policy advisor, referenced the challenges authorities face.

“We acknowledge that it would be difficult for the Health and Safety Executive to set a meaningful upper temperature limit due to variations between industries in both working conditions, required PPE and workload,” she said.

“However, HSE guidance needs to be updated to support sectors and industry in the development of appropriate strategies.”

The HSE did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment ahead of this story’s publication.

A street sweeper cools off at a fountain in Ronda, Spain, on July 21, 2022.

Jorge Guerrero | AFP | Getty Images

In other parts of the world, plans are being made to ban work when it’s too hot.

In May, for instance, Spain’s Minister of Labour and Social Economy, Yolanda Díaz, tweeted that carrying out “certain jobs during daylight hours” in extreme temperatures would be prohibited.

Speaking to reporters, Díaz said such prohibitions would take effect when AEMET, the State Meteorological Agency, issues red or orange weather alerts.

Citing Spain’s Labour Ministry, Reuters said the move would affect roles in sectors like agriculture and street cleaning. According to Reuters, in the summer of 2022 a street-sweeper in Madrid died from heatstroke.

Trade unions are also making their voice heard when it comes to working in extreme conditions.

Take Unite the Union, which has a presence in Britain and Ireland. It’s listed a range of advice provided by its health and safety representatives to both workers and employers.

Among other things, it stresses the importance of adequate ventilation for internal workspaces, the provision of cover for workers who are in direct sunlight, and stopping all work in extreme conditions.

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Among a wide range of actions, Fox stressed the importance of design in creating safe and comfortable working environments in the face of hotter weather.

He said there needs to be a completely new approach to cooling that does not rely on the use of air conditioning, which has a significant environmental footprint.

“We need to explore … more traditional solutions of natural ventilation, use of shade, internal courtyards,” Fox said.

He noted that there’s “an awful lot” that can be done to prepare for the future. Raising awareness would be key. “In many cases, industries and workforces are just not aware that this challenge is coming, and are not preparing for it,” he said.

On top of that, identifying priorities in research and development and updating engineering methodologies and approaches would be needed.

Unless something is done, there will be, “in the coming years and decades, an increase in the economic impact of more extreme heat waves and just the general raising of the ambient seasonal temperature,” Fox warned.

Environment

Tesla closes loophole that let Kia owners charge on Superchargers

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1 hour ago

January 23, 2025

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Tesla closes loophole that let Kia owners charge on Superchargers

Kia owners were supposed to get access to Tesla Superchargers on January 15, but that timeline was recently delayed. Some owners had figured out a loophole to charge, but it turns out, that loophole is now closed.

It’s been a busy time for the North American EV industry’s transition to NACS, the charging standard originally advanced by Tesla and now standardized by SAE.

We’ve recently seen several brands added to the “coming soon” list, and even beyond that, VW and Honda have both made their own announcements that access is coming soon.

But this past couple weeks were supposed to be even busier, with Kia having previously planned to roll out Supercharger access on January 15th, according to an announcement the company made back in September. Unfortunately there was a delay, and Kia owners will have to wait until later this quarter for official support.

In the meantime, though, owners had found that you could trick the system into letting you charge by telling it that you have a Hyundai. Hyundai and Kia both build their EVs on the same E-GMP platform, so there are a lot of similarities between them.

Kia, like Hyundai, is also in the process of shipping some of the first vehicles with a native NACS port, with the 2025 EV6 including a native NACS port, much like the 2025 Ioniq 5 does. So this similarity seemed to be able to trick the Supercharger network, and Kia EV6s could charge on it for a little while, assuming use of a third-party adapter.

Last week, we reported on this loophole, and were hearing of many owners who had success charging.

But that method no longer works, according to several Kia owners. Now, when attempting to charge at a Tesla Supercharger with an EV6 and adapter, the Tesla app will tell you “Unknown error occurred – Your vehicle is not able to charge at Superchargers at this time.” This has been confirmed to be the case even on Supercharger sites that were previously working.

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Probably one of the reasons for this is the use of third-party adapters. While third-party adapters are available, manufacturers are always wary when owners use non-verified equipment – especially when it’s related to the most expensive part of the car, the battery.

Kia themselves told us that “warranty coverage may be impacted by use of a third party or aftermarket adapter, and we expect to have our authorized version available in late Q1 2025” when we contacted them about our previous article (though we’re not sure how that would shake out legally – there are a lot of laws covering car warranties and what can and cannot void them).

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen some mix-ups with Supercharger access. Last November, Tesla announced that Nissan cars had access to Superchargers, but it turned out they jumped the gun. Everything is hunky-dory now for Nissan, and it seems like a bunch of new brands will gain access in the coming months, but we expect a few more fits and starts along the way (chaos tends to happen when you fire the whole Supercharger team for no reason).

But, once EV6s do gain access to Superchargers, we expect to see them show exceptional charge performance. The EV6’s cousin, the Ioniq 5, recently showed that it can charge faster than a Tesla, even on Tesla’s home turf. The EV6 should be able to accomplish similar feats, once it is unleashed onto North America’s biggest charging network.

If you’re looking to buy one of the fastest-charging EVs on the road today, use our link to check local dealers and get in line for when they get the new 2025 Kia EV6s in stock.

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Jaguar Land Rover invests $2M in rare earth magnets recycling

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2 hours ago

January 23, 2025

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Jaguar Land Rover invests M in rare earth magnets recycling

Jaguar Land Rover rare earth magnets recycling — Photo: Cyclic Materials

Jaguar Land Rover’s investment arm InMotion Ventures has invested $2 million in rare earth magnets recycling company Cyclic Materials, bringing its Series B funding round to $55 million.

Jaguar Land Rover’s InMotion Ventures has invested in a range of technologies including supply chain traceability, battery repair, reuse and recycling, and now, rare earth magnets recycling.

“Cyclic Materials is leading the way in creating a sustainable supply chain for rare earth elements (REEs) and critical materials,” said Mike Smeed, managing director at InMotion Ventures. “Their innovative technologies address a vital need for rare earth magnets recycling, supporting the automotive industry’s transition toward a cleaner and more resilient future.”

Cyclic Materials says it will use the investment to accelerate the expansion of its operations across North America and Europe, boost its processing capabilities, and refine its recycling technologies.

This Series B extension builds on Cyclic Materials’ earlier $53 million round that already has the backing of BMWi, Microsoft, and Hitachi.

Rare earth magnet recycling

Rare earth magnets are a type of permanent magnet made from alloys of REEs, which are part of a set of 17 chemical elements in the periodic table. Rare earth magnets, particularly neodymium magnets, are essential in electric traction motors in EVs. Their strong magnetic fields help deliver high performance and efficiency, which extend an EV’s driving range and reduce battery load.

Rare earth magnets can also be found in everything from data centers and wind turbines to cell phones and power tools.

However, less than 1% of REEs are currently recycled, while the global demand already exceeds supply and is projected to grow threefold by 2030. Ontario-based Cyclic Materials says its proprietary MagCycle and REEPure technologies recycle REEs from a wide range of end-of-life products, establishing a circular supply chain for recycled Mixed Rare Earth Oxides.

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Nissan secures batteries for about 300,000 EVs in the US, but when will we see them?

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2 hours ago

January 23, 2025

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Nissan secures batteries for about 300,000 EVs in the US, but when will we see them?

Nissan plans to buy 20 GWh of batteries from SK On, enough to power around 300,000 EVs to be sold in the US. However, after delaying EV production in the US again, when will the new EVs finally arrive?

Nissan revealed plans to invest $500 million in its Canton, Mississippi, plant almost three years ago to prepare the facility for its newest electric vehicles.

Production was initially set to begin in Canton this year, but Nissan pushed the start date back until 2026 last January with concerns over profitability and EV demand. According to the Madison County Journal, the company is now pushing the start date until 2028.

Just yesterday, an Automotive News report claimed Nissan was also canceling plans to build a smaller electric SUV in the US. The SUV was expected to sit between the LEAF and Ariya.

The smaller electric SUV was expected to be the fifth EV built in Canton, following a pair of Nissan and Infiniti electric sedans. Nissan spokesperson Brian Brockman said the company was focusing on other, more profitable projects that would see more demand.

Nissan-electric-SUV-US — 2025 Nissan Ariya Platinum+ e-4ORCE (Source: Nissan)

Nissan to buy batteries from SK On for new EVs in the US

Despite the delays, the automaker is still expanding its supply chain in the US to prepare for the upcoming EVs.

A Nikkei report on Thursday claimed that Nissan secured a battery supply from SK On for EV models sold in the US. Nissan agreed to buy 20 GWh of batteries, or enough to power roughly 300,000 EVs.

The automaker will reportedly begin installing the new SK-supplied batteries by 2028, which is when it plans to start building EVs in the US.

Nissan’s battery supply deal comes as the company looks to establish a domestic supply chain for EVs in the US.

Although Nissan announced plans to team up with Honda in December to keep pace with EV leaders like BYD and Tesla, it doesn’t expect to realize any substantial benefits until around 2030.

Nissan Motor’s, including Infiniti’s, US market share has dropped 2.1% over the past five years to just 5.8%. In 2024, the automaker sold just over 31,000 electric vehicles in the US, including roughly 20,000 Ariya models and 11,000 LEAFs.

Honda, which began delivering the Prologue just last March based on GM’s Ultium platform, sold over 33,000 models last year.

The new battery supply deal is a start, but in 2028, Nissan will face an influx of new EV models with which it will have to compete.

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