Heat stress cost India $9 per tonne of CO2 in lost labour productivity in 2025
India experienced significant labour productivity losses due to heat stress in 2025. A study revealed that each tonne of carbon dioxide emitted cost India nine dollars. Globally, emissions caused forty-one dollars in lost labour productivity per tonne. Outdoor workers face the greatest exposure to these dangerous heat conditions. Employers and policymakers must mitigate these damages and protect…
In 2025, heat stress caused a substantial decline in India's labour productivity, according to a study published in Nature Climate Change. The research, led by Professor Frances Moore from the University of California, Davis, found that India lost $9 in labour productivity for every tonne of CO2 emitted that year. This was significantly higher than countries such as Nigeria, where productivity loss was $6 per tonne, and China, where it was $4.
Globally, each tonne of CO2 emitted in 2025 resulted in a $41 loss in labour productivity. Moore emphasized that labour is the second-largest contributor to the total social cost of carbon, just behind heat-related deaths. The study also highlighted that outdoor jobs are most affected by rising heat, with agricultural and construction workers facing the highest heat exposure.
Employers and policymakers are urged to address heat as a serious health hazard and implement measures such as providing shade, water, and adjusting work schedules to cooler hours to mitigate heat-related productivity losses.
Written by urgent.news from The Economic Times - Economy's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
