Singapore's economic losses due to heat stress could nearly double to $1.64 billion in 2035 from pre-pandemic 2018 due to a decline in labor productivity, a recent study by the National University of Singapore showed. Back in 2018, heat strain caused an 11.3% fall in average productivity across Singapore's four big economic sectors — services, construction, manufacturing and agriculture. Fall in productivity is expected to rise to 14% in 2035, leading to an economic loss of S$2.22 billion ($1.64 billion), after adjusting for inflation, the NUS Project HeatSafe report said. The loss will be significantly higher for workers exposed to adverse environmental conditions — those working working under the sun, or being exposed to other sources of heat such as machineries. Last July, United Nations' Secretary-General Antonio Guterres cautioned that the world has moved away from global warming to "an era of global boiling."

---

Persons: Natalia Borzino, Antonio Guterres Organizations: National University of Singapore, NUS, ETH, United Nations Locations: Singapore