Protect Farmworkers From Extreme Heat And Climate Change

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Decades of research have confirmed that climate impacts on food and agriculture are adversely affecting our health: Rising CO2 levels lead to less nutritious crops; increased incidence of diseases and pests which lead some farmers to use more toxic on-farm chemicals; and rising temperatures prompting an increase in waterborne bacteria, making it harder to keep irrigated crops safe1.

Between 2 and 3 million farmworkers in the U.S. face an even greater risk by working outside all day to harvest those crops, with subpar living arrangements to sleep in at night.

Between now and 2065, climate change is expected to quadruple US outdoor workers’ exposure to hazardous heat conditions, jeopardizing their health and placing up to $55.4 billion of their earnings at risk annually. The average outdoor worker risks losing from $1,700 to $7,000 in annual earnings due to lost work days from extreme heat2.

Heat is the nation’s leading cause of weather-related deaths, and heat waves are becoming more intense and more frequent as the planet warms3.

Exposure to wildfire smoke is also growing threat to farmworkers, many of whom are forced to toil through fires that are not just more frequent and severe but more toxic than ever. And as each year brings bigger and more destructive fires, scientists are scrambling to identify all the chemicals in smoke and the risks they pose4.

Farmworkers are directly impacted by the smoke and falling ash from fires, added to that the stress of lost income and working near a raging fire and the negative impact is amplified.

The Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness and Fatality Prevention Act is named in honor of Asunción Valdivia who died in 2004 after picking grapes for ten hours straight in 105-degree temperatures5.

Valdivia fell unconscious and instead of calling an ambulance, his employer told Valdivia’s son to drive his father home. On his way home, he died of heat stroke at the age of 53. Valdivia’s death was completely preventable, yet his story is not unique.

“I will never forget Asuncion Valdivia or how his tragic death could have been avoided,” said Rep. Judy Chu, one of the sponsors of the bill6. “Whether on a farm, driving a truck, or working in a warehouse, workers like Asuncion keep our country running while enduring some of the most difficult conditions, often without access to water or rest.”

Sign the petition below and demand the U.S. government protect outdoor laborers against rising temperatures by passing the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness and Fatality Prevention Act.