July temperatures in most of the Middle East are challenging every year, especially for people whose jobs require them to spend long periods outdoors during the day. But however used to the trials of summer the region's inhabitants may be, extreme weather is becoming more common. This is a new climate reality that countries and governments can no longer ignore. Other regions, like Southern Europe, are even less equipped to deal with record high summers, with temperatures in some Spanish and Portuguese cities exceeding 46 degrees Celsius this month. As UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has pointed out last year, when he called for an urgent international effort to address extreme heat, around 2.4 billion people around the world are at high risk from this issue.
Governments need to continuously adjust to these realities. UAE authorities have had protocols in place for more than 20 years that mandate rest for workers – especially construction workers, delivery drivers, outdoor security personnel, among others – during the hottest parts of the day in the warmest months. This is intended to reduce their exposure to heat and any associated risk of fatigue and heat-related health issues.
Other measures are in place across the country, such as Dubai and Ajman restricting working hours for government employees through the summer. Sensible and humane policies rightfully inform the labour laws of the country and also the standards companies set for themselves.
The issue of responding to heat stress and climate-related challenges, though, is much larger than what can be tackled in labour law and HR offices. The challenges of tackling climate change vary from country to country, even as the overarching issue of addressing rising temperatures is common across the planet.
Wildfires in coastal Syria this month raged on for more than a week. In Iraq, 46 million people are facing water crises after inadequate rains disrupted agricultural planning in the country that the UN has said is one of the five most vulnerable to certain effects of climate change. In Iran, a public holiday was announced as temperatures touched 50ºC and residents were asked to limit their water usage. Rainfall in the Middle East and North Africa has been the lowest in five years.
All of this points to a worrying future if strong measures are not taken urgently, and the Middle East is particularly vulnerable. A situation that is, however, increasingly precarious for much of the world requires foresight, planning, innovation and a sharing of expertise so that countries can work together to adapt to the challenges posed by a warming planet.
In addition to federal plans already in place to tackle climate change and in recognition of the necessity of bracing for this uncertain climate future, Abu Dhabi launched a climate action plan yesterday for the next 25 years to bolster vulnerable environmental systems of groundwater, soil and biodiversity. Dr Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, secretary general of the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi called it "a science-backed, action-oriented road map”.
As billions of people around the world grow more susceptible to heat stress and inaction no longer remains an option, more such roadmaps will be needed.
