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Outdoor Employment Linked to Concerns About Extreme Heat
Provided by: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication |Published on: August 29, 2025
Articles/Websites
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Synopsis
In this article from the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, students will see how the number of outdoor workers and location impact how concerned people are with extreme heat.
Students will learn how outdoor workers are impacted by extreme heat, the protections that exist for these workers, and how local levels of concern may vary based on previous experience with extreme heat.
Authors: Amelia Lee, Jennifer Carman, Jennifer Marlon, Nick Begotka, Emily Goddard, Seth Rosenthal, John Kotcher, Edward Maibach and Anthony Leiserowitz
This article includes a graph to help students visualize potential correlations.
While this article does go over the methodology and some complex components of the study, the main contents are fairly easy for students to understand.
Prerequisites
Students should understand climate change and that a warming climate means more days with extreme heat.
Teachers may need to define terms like wet bulb temperature.
Differentiation & Implementation
Before reading this article, teachers can ask students to think about what might influence how someone feels about climate change. Teachers can also have students analyze the Yale Climate Opinion Maps as a way to become familiar with climate opinions.
Students can read about the heat protections for outdoor workers using one of the links in the article or through their own research. Students can then propose ways that these protections will need to be adjusted or adapted as climate change continues.
To make connections to environmental justice, teachers can have students explore the proportion of those working outdoors in extreme conditions that belong to marginalized communities, especially undocumented immigrants, who may face a disproportionate lack of legal protections against unsafe working conditions due to extreme heat.
Teachers can connect this article to the UN Sustainable Development Goals by focusing on Goal 3, Good Health and Well-Being.
Scientist Notes
Teaching Tips
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Resource Type and Format
About the Partner Provider
Yale Program on Climate Change Communication
The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication conducts scientific research on public opinion and behavior. They also engage the public in climate change science and solutions, in partnerships with governments, media, companies, and civil society.
Related Teaching Resources
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