Categories: Sciences

Deforestation: work becomes more dangerous

Over the past 15 years, deforestation has lost many hours of work that is more dangerous for millions of people, especially in the tropics

The tropics are getting warmer due to both global warming and increased deforestation. This can reduce workers’ ability to do their jobs safely. The researchers estimated how many hours of work have been lost in the past 15 years due to climate change and deforestation.

Not just oxygen: deforestation warms the soil

Forests are, together with oceans, i lungs of the world. Vegetation has the enormous power to transform thecarbon dioxide atmospheric trapping it in organic matter, producing “waste” oxygen. Furthermore, forests are a self-sustaining circle: organic matter lost from the trees it is recycled and reused by other plants and organisms as food and fertilizer so that nothing is wasted. The trees also block out the sun’s radiation and provide shade. They cool the air through evapotranspiration, a process in which plants carry water from the soil and disperse it from the leaves, similar to how sweating cools the skin. The trees in the tropics appear to limit the maximum temperatures the air can reach. Once cut, we lose these services making the environment very hot. For example, i sunny afternoons they can be up to 10 degrees Celsius warmer in deforested areas than in those where the vegetation is intact.

Heating: a problem for workers too

A study recently published in One Earth estimated the impact of deforestation on specific areas of the planet, but it has also gone further. By analyzing the impact on the soil, temperature and atmospheric events, the researchers estimated how many hours of work are lost due to the lower safety caused by climate changes. Using satellite data with meteorological observations, Parsons and colleagues tracked temperature and humidity in 94 countries with tropical forests, such as the Americas, Africa and Asia, from 2003 to 2018. By matching these data with population density, number of workers and severe weather events, the researchers developed a mathematical model. In areas most prone to deforestation, even 30 minutes of safe work per day have been lost. The sectors most affected are those of physical outdoor work, such as construction and agriculture. The increase in temperatures, associated with heavy physical work, increases the risk of severe fatigue, tiredness and severe heat stroke, which can even be fatal. Specifically, this study estimates nearly 100,000 people in the tropics who have lost more than 2 hours of work a day due to deforestation. Over 90% of these people live in Asia. Researchers believe this disproportionate distribution is likely due to the higher population density of the Asian regions.