Sign up for Climate at the Border.
Hola, welcome to Climate at the Border! We’re here to help you cover the most pressing climate issues in the region. In each edition, we’ll bring you what you need to know to get started and make recommendations for localizing, humanizing, and reporting solutions to the topic.
The world is getting hotter, and farmworkers, maquiladora workers, and construction laborers along the border face extreme heat threatening their health and livelihoods. Without protection, they risk exhaustion, dehydration, and serious illness — while lost workdays and lower productivity put their incomes in jeopardy. Inscribirse para recibir El Clima en la Frontera en español.
What You Need to Know
- Globally: Heat stress, already the leading cause of weather-related deaths, is intensifying due to climate change. Rising temperatures worsen conditions like heart disease, diabetes, asthma, and mental health issues, while increasing accident risks. Between 2000–2019, studies show 489,000 heat-related deaths occur annually. In the US, heat-related deaths have increased 117% since 1999.
- At the Border: During the summer, temperatures frequently exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius), with some areas reaching heat indices above 115 degrees F (46 degrees C). This puts workers at high risk of heat exhaustion, dehydration, and heatstroke, which can be fatal. Studies show that extreme heat reduces labor productivity by 10-20%, leading to financial strain for low-wage workers who may have to reduce their hours or take unpaid sick leave. Without labor protections and heat adaptation measures, these risks will only grow as climate change intensifies.
- Migration: Prolonged exposure to extreme heat increases crop failures and reduces local employment opportunities, particularly for low income workers in rural areas of Mexico, pushing many to seek work elsewhere. This internal displacement often leads to increased migration from rural to urban areas, and for many, across the border into the US.
Localize: Heat Along the Border
Key Reporting Angles:
- Are rising temperatures pushing workers to leave certain regions along the border?
- Are migrants facing more dangerous conditions as they cross through extreme heat zones?
- How are cities handling the influx of workers relocating due to heat stress and job losses?
Stories to Inspire Your Coverage:
- “Extreme heat is endangering America’s Workers -and its Economy” by Aryn Baker, TIME
- “Migrant deaths in New Mexico have increased tenfold” by Anita Snow, Christopher L. Keller, and Morgan Lee, AP
Ask an Expert:
- José Guillermo Cedeño Laurent, Assistant Professor of Rutgers School of Public Health, specializes in the health impacts of extreme heat in urban settings.
- Gregg Garfin is a researcher studying resilience in extreme heat episodes in the US-Mexico border, emphasizing assistance to marginalized communities.
Humanize: Who Is Most Affected?
Talk to the Communities on the Frontlines:
- What are the most common heat-related illnesses among workers, and how are hospitals responding? Are heat-related illnesses and deaths underreported?
- How does extreme heat affect worker productivity and wages in agriculture, construction, and maquiladoras? What are the financial consequences for workers forced to take unpaid sick leave or reduce hours?
- How are extreme heat and drought affecting cross-border trade and agricultural output?
Stories to Inspire Your Coverage:
- “Nuevas reglas tienen como objetivo proteger a los trabajadores agrícolas de California después de que el calor extremo interrumpiera el trabajo el año pasado” by Hiram Durán and Erica Hellerstein, El Tímpano
- “My dad works in construction. Phoenix’s extreme heat now threatens his life” by Jazmin Moreno-Domínguez, Arizona Central
- “Extreme heat can age you as fast as a smoking habit” by Zoya Teirstein, Grist
Ask an Expert:
- Kristin VaderMolen, researcher at the Desert Research Institute, focuses on agricultural workers susceptible to heat-related illnesses.
- Diana Liverman has analyzed social vulnerability to extreme temperatures in Mexican cities along the US-Mexico border.
- Sandra Aguilar-Gomez has examined how extreme heat affects financial systems in Mexico.
Solutions: What Are the Fixes?
Highlight What’s Working and What’s Not:
- What legal protections exist for workers facing extreme heat in border states? How are safety regulations enforced, and where do gaps remain?
- What are businesses, unions, and communities doing to protect workers? How are local governments providing relief, such as cooling centers and water stations?
- Are new technologies or climate adaptation measures helping workers stay safe?
Stories to Inspire Your Coverage:
- “To combat Phoenix’s extreme heat, a new program provides sustainable shade” by Wyatt Myskow, Inside Climate News
- “Workers are dying from the heat: why is it so hard to protect them?” by Maurizio Guerrero, In these times
- “Border communities deal with heat related risks” from the University of Arizona
Ask an Expert:
- Center for Climate Adaptation Science and Solutions from the University of Arizona
What’s Next?
- Have a workers story from the border? We’d love to amplify it. You can send it here: editors@coveringclimatenow.org.
- Want more on climate? Sign up for our other newsletters.
- Any questions? Send them to training@coveringclimatenow.org.
Nos vemos pronto, see you in soon!
– CCNow’s Climate at the Border team
Support Covering Climate Now
We’re working to help journalists worldwide improve and expand their climate coverage. Meet our staff and learn more about CCNow.