[News Today] Heat insurance for outdoor workers

[LEAD]
Heat-related illnesses have more than doubled this summer, and those working outdoors are feeling it the most. As extreme heat becomes the new normal, there's growing urgency for climate insurance, to protect vulnerable workers when it's too dangerous to work.


[REPORT]
From farmers moving perilla seedlings.

"I must put them in shade."

To workers on a construction site under the scorching sun.

"It's done. Phew."

There are people who have to work outdoors even during heatwaves.

Amid the surging number of heat-related illness cases, they cannot stop working due to financial issues.

As a heatwave warning alarm sounds, workers leave the construction site.

Taking breaks means less income, so avoiding the heat isn’t always a welcome option.

Jeon Jae-hee / Korean Confederation of Trade Unions
Construction workers are day laborers. So many of them are more worried about starvation than about heat-related death.

Many outdoor workers exposed to extreme heat are older, less-educated day laborers.

Many of those hit hardest by the heatwave are socially vulnerable, making the issue even more serious.

This is why measures like climate insurance are now being discussed.

If extreme heat stops outdoor work, this insurance would compensate for the lost income during that time.

Park Jeong-cheol / Environment Ministry
Outdoor workers and others hit hard by climate change are seen as climate-vulnerable groups. The insurance will be designed to help them.

Experts stress the need to expand a social safety net for the vulnerable, as the nation is quickly shifting to a subtropical climate.