Heat-related illness cases in adults have increased by over 70 percent in the last three years, Greenpeace said today at a media conference highlighting the effects of high temperatures on the economy and workers’ health.
High temperatures reduce work efficiency, causing Taiwan significant economic losses, estimated at up to NT$39.7 billion (US$1.22 billion) last year across Taiwan's six municipalities, Greenpeace’s study showed.
The group called for businesses to accelerate the use of green energy and suggested the Ministry of Labor (MOL) expand guidelines for all outdoor workers and their employers on how to avoid heat-related illness.
Photo: Wu Po-hsuan, Taipei Times
They also called on the Ministry of Economic Affairs to conduct an assessment on the impact of high temperatures on the economy.
According to the MOL’s “Guide for High Temperature Outdoor Work Thermal Hazard Prevention,” in 2024, there were 1,796 hours of category-3 heat or above across Taiwan’s six municipalities, meaning “dangerous” or above 40.6°C, Greenpeace’s Communication Officer Felicia Lin (林郁芳) said.
That is 653 more than the 1,148 hours recorded in 2022, she added.
Cases of heat-related illness among those aged 19 to 64 have risen from 1,622 in 2022 to 2,829 in 2024, an increase of 74.4 percent, Lydia Fang (方君維), director of Greenpeace's climate and energy campaign, said.
Moreover, cases between April and May last year rose by 82.5 percent as compared to the same period of 2022, she added.
Using Kaohsiung as an example, category 3 and above temperatures caused an estimated loss of NT$11.9 billion last year, calculated from the minimum wage at NT$28,590 per month and maximum monthly working hours at 174, she said.
Across Taiwan’s six municipalities, losses could total up to NT$39.7 billion, she said.
Research conducted in the US shows that outdoor workers lose up to 41 work days per year due to excessively high temperatures and salary losses of US$5,000 per year, Greenpeace said.
In the UK, a similar study found that high temperatures caused up to £5.3 billion (US$7.05 billion) in losses, accounting for 0.2 percent of GDP, it added.
The MOL should put more effective strategies in place and stop relying on coal, oil and gas, Greenpeace said.
To protect workers’ rights, it should further implement clear guidelines, including training for all outdoor workers such as those working in delivery and handing out flyers, it said.
According to data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW), over 2,000 people across all age groups have been admitted to hospital each year for heat-related illness since 2014, Taiwan Labor Front secretary-general Son Yu-liam (孫友聯) said.
Son called for amendments to the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法) to address the issue.
Patients hospitalized for heat exhaustion should be evaluated to check whether it is an occupational injury, he said.
Agricultural workers who labor in the sun for extended periods of time are 2.12 times more likely to suffer from chronic kidney disease due to dehydration and high temperatures, said Yang Hsiao-yu (楊孝友), a professor at National Taiwan University College of Public Health’s Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, citing his study.
With each degree Celsius that temperatures rise, the risk of developing chronic kidney disease increases by 8 percent, a risk that must be taken seriously due to Taiwan’s hot and humid weather, he added.
Some doctors do not associate high temperatures with chronic kidney disease, he said, adding that the MOL and the MOHW have not coordinated their efforts.
Workers should drink 250ml of water every 20 minutes when they work outdoors and should avoid alcohol and sugary drinks, Yang said.
Additional reporting by Wu Pai-hsuan and Fion Khan
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