An odd headline, but true. Hotter, more humid summers reduces
work productivity by 10% researchers find. This effects military
personnel and industrial production around the Earth’s warmer
regions. The study was published in the journal Nature Climate
Change. Smithsonian sums up the research: If you feel sluggish
and have difficulty getting physical work done on very hot,
humid days, it’s not your imagination. Our bodies are equipped
with an adaptation to handle high temperatures—perspiration—but
sweating becomes ineffective at cooling us down when the air
around us is extremely humid. Add in the fact that climate
change is projected to increase the average humidity of Earth as
well as its temperature, and you could have a recipe for a
rather unexpected consequence of greenhouse gas emissions: a
reduced overall ability to get work done. According to a study
published yesterday in Nature Climate Change, increased heat and
humidity has already reduced our species’ work capacity by 10%
in the warmest months, and