Climate Change and Occupational Vulnerability: Social Implications and Adaptive Strategies for Outdoor and Informal Workers
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Climate change has intensified thermal hazards in occupational environments, disproportionately affecting outdoor and informal workers who lack institutional protections and adaptive infrastructures. This study explores how systemic social inequalities structure occupational heat vulnerability and examines adaptive behaviours, social networks, and community strategies that workers employ. Using a mixed methodology that integrates secondary labour statistics, qualitative narratives from frontline workers, and sociological analysis, this research highlights the intersection of labour precarity and environmental risk. Results indicate that informal employment, lack of social security, gender inequities, and limited access to cooling resources exacerbate heat‑related health impacts and socioeconomic instability among vulnerable workers. The paper concludes with recommendations for socially rooted adaptive strategies, labor policy reforms, and inclusive climate governance mechanisms designed to reduce occupational heat vulnerability.
Source: Neliti
Author: Singh, J. (Juber)
Institution: Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India
Language: English
Subfield: Health
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7163792806