In an overheating world, workers are organizing.

News of the world environment

 NEWSLETTER | SEPTEMBER 20, 2024

Collective Care

IN MID-JUNE, I was traveling with my partner through Northern California and into the Pacific Northwest to attend a climate justice conference, a heat wave chasing after us. Mere hours into the trip, several improperly torqued lug nuts flew from the front left wheel of our van, bringing it to a screeching halt on the I-5 near Redding, California.

The tow truck driver who arrived looked frazzled. “I’m on hour 18 of work today,” he said. “In these temperatures, more tires blow, or people’s engines can’t handle the heat. We’re slammed.” He wore thick long sleeves to protect himself from burns when he had to lie on the hot concrete, he said. “But then I just sweat like crazy.”

At the dealership, we learned that the shop was so overrun with breakdowns from the heat that it could take days to look at our vehicle. Stranded, we got a room at a hotel, only to find housekeeping staff there overwhelmed. Locals without air conditioning at home had come for a reprieve using the hotel’s AC and pool.

Photojournalist Brooke Anderson talks with five California-based workers about navigating the new workplace “normal” of extreme heat, and how they’re pushing for change as the climate crisis elevates on-the-job risks.

READ MORE

Photo by Brooke Anderson

SUGGESTED BROWSING

Atlantic Breaking Point

Something may be really wrong with one of the world’s most important ocean currents. Two scientist-siblings are trying to predict just how close we could be to its collapse, and stirring up controversy in the process. (Wired)

Down the Data Hole

Our lives are defined by data, kept in massive centers around the world. But what goes on inside them? (Washington Post)

Caring for Defenders

As violence against environmental defenders has escalated, so has the toll on their mental health. Advocates are building a network of safe houses across Latin America where defenders can address their individual and collective trauma. (Grist)

An Ode to Herons

“They don’t produce glowing dust, but if you don’t think herons are magic, I suggest you need to broaden your definition of that word,” writes Jarod K. Anderson, author of the newly released Something in the Woods Loves You. (Atmos)

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