Extreme heat puts South Asia’s jobs and growth at risk: World Bank
The World Bank says extreme heat should no longer be treated as a seasonal emergency, warning that rising temperatures threaten livelihoods, productivity and long-term economic growth across the region
A new World Bank report warns that extreme heat is costing South Asia nearly 31 million full-time jobs annually and could shrink the region's economy by 7 percent by 2050. As the region prepares to add 280 million working-age individuals by mid-century, rising temperatures pose a major threat to jobs, productivity, and long-term economic growth.
Extreme heat already dampens labor productivity, disrupts businesses, and jeopardizes the competitiveness of South Asia's cities, disproportionately affecting low-income households, informal workers, women, the elderly, and children. By 2070, around 520 million people across the region could face at least one month of dangerous heat each year, four times the current number.
World Bank vice president for South Asia, Johannes Zutt, emphasizes that building heat-resilient cities is crucial not only for safeguarding people from rising temperatures but also for protecting jobs, boosting productivity, attracting investment, and ensuring long-term economic growth. The report urges countries to prioritize heat resilience in urban planning, infrastructure investment, public policy, and private sector development, proposing investments in heat-resilient infrastructure, stronger heat action plans, protection for vulnerable workers, expansion of sustainable cooling, improved early warning systems, and mobilization of public and private resources to build more resilient cities.
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