Over 70% of the global workforce is exposed to risks linked to climate change, which every year causes hundreds of thousands of deaths, the International Labor Organization (ILO) announced today, adding that governments should take action as the number of victims rises.

Air pollution is the deadliest hazard, causing about 860,000 work-related deaths among outdoor workers annually, the ILO report found.

Extreme heat causes 18,970 worker deaths each year and UV radiation 18,960 through non-melanoma skin cancer, it said.

Globally, workers especially the poorest, are more vulnerable than the general populationto the risks of extreme weather events such as heat waves, droughts, forest fires and hurricanes because they are often the first to be exposed or because they are exposed for longer periods and with greater severity.

“The biggest impacts will be seen among the working poor, those employed in the informal economy and workers in micro and small enterprises,” the report notes.

In some cases, the very technology aimed at slowing climate change — such as solar panels and lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles — may end up causing more risks by containing toxic chemicals, it added.

As it accelerates climate changegovernments and employers are struggling to protect workers, the ILO report notes.

“An impressive number of workers are already exposed to climate change-related risks in their workplace, and this is only likely to get worse,” the report, entitled “Ensuring safety and health in the workplace in a changing climate”.

“As risks evolve and intensify it will be necessary to review existing legislation or create new regulations and guidelines,” it noted.

Some countries have improved the protection of workers from high temperatures, such as Qatar, whose policy has been heavily criticized in the run-up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

However, regulations addressing other risks such as the increased use of pesticides for agricultural workers are less common.

As the report points out, the proportion of workers around the world exposed to the most widespread risk, namely warming, has increased by around five percentage points over the past two decades to reach 70.90%.

Often others coexist climate risks thus creating a “cocktail of risks”, the ILO points out, with UV radiation and air pollution each affecting 1.6 billion people.

As a worker is likely to be simultaneously exposed to multiple hazards, it is impossible to calculate the exact percentage of those at risk among the 3.4 billion global workforce, according to an ILO representative.

Climate-related hazards are also linked to cancer, kidney failure, and respiratory disease, leading to death or chronic illness or disability.