In some tropical regions, working outdoors has become increasingly difficult, even dangerous. According to a study published Friday, December 7 in the journal One earth (link in English), the effects of deforestation and climate change have caused temperatures to rise in several tropical regions, affecting the working conditions of millions of people who work outdoors. According to this study, between 2003 and 2018, nearly 4.9 million people lost at least half an hour a day of working conditions at a temperature considered safe, and more than 91,000 people lost more than two hours of safe working temperatures per day, mostly in Asia.
“The tropics are already on the verge of being too hot and humid to work there safely due to climate change.”, says Luke Parsons, its lead author. “Deforestation could push these regions towards even more dangerous working environments”, he adds.
The link between deforestation and increased local temperature has already been demonstrated, with trees blocking sunlight, providing shade and cooling the air through evapotranspiration – they carry water from the ground and cause it to evaporate. from the surface of their leaves -. Gold, “so far, many arguments in favor of saving tropical forests have been based on biodiversity or the fight against climate change”, has reported Luke Parsons. “We hope that the additional information provided by this study on the relationship between the health of local forests and human health will be taken into account when comparing the costs and benefits of deforestation.”, he added.
During the study period, the researchers looked at a combination of temperature readings, population estimates, and satellite images of global deforestation between 2003 and 2018. They found that the The temperature increase due to deforestation was much greater than that due to recent climate change.
Luke Parsons’ team calculated that 1.22 million square kilometers of rainforest had been destroyed or degraded during the study period. However, the temperature has risen by more than 2 degrees Celsius in almost 60% of the recently deforested areas, and 47% of the deforested areas have lost more than half an hour a day of safe working temperatures, compared to just 4% of the areas. having kept their forest cover.