Climate Change: the Effects in Work Environments

The rapid climate changes taking place pose a serious threat to all of us, with consequences that affect many aspects of our lives. In some areas, precipitation and extreme weather phenomena are becoming more frequent, while others are suffering from unprecedented droughts and heat waves. Rising temperatures, copious precipitation and sea levels are bound to directly and indirectly affect the productivity and profitability of all economic sectors, with strong implications for the labor market.

Climate change may, in fact, reduce the availability of labor due to worsening population health conditions. A further obstacle is worsening working conditions caused by too high temperatures and more frequent and intense natural hazards, which often prevent people from reaching the workplace.

In addition, several economic sectors are extremely vulnerable due to their dependence on climatic conditions; in fact, sudden climatic changes can lead to transformations and changes in production sectors and work environments. In this context, the Ecosustainable Cooling proposed by Art-Eco aims at improving working conditions, increasing productivity and profitability, leading to a drastic decrease in absenteeism.

When the outside temperature changes rapidly, going from intense cold to great heat and vice versa, our body activates a thermoregulation mechanism. If it is cold, the body produces heat through the metabolism of energy from muscle activity and food; conversely, if it is hot, it dissipates heat through sweating. The goal in both cases is to maintain a constant body temperature around 37°C.

However, if temperature changes are abrupt and continuous, this complex thermal regulation mechanism struggles to adapt. These sudden changes in climate can be a problem especially for people with reduced immune defenses or serious chronic diseases. It is not excessive cold or heat that makes people sick, but sudden changes in temperature for which the body is not prepared.

Sudden changes in temperature often cause meteoropathy, a condition characterized by a particular sensitivity to climate change. Meteoropathy is not a disease, but rather a set of physical and mental disorders caused by sudden changes in weather, which can also involve worsening of pre-existing symptoms such as arthritis, headaches and neuralgia.

Rapid and sudden climatic changes can, therefore, have a negative impact on our health because of the strong link between changes in weather conditions and psychophysical well-being. Art-Eco products can help reduce the incidence of meteoropathy by improving indoor conditions in working environments and promoting optimal psychophysical adaptation for workers.