June heatwave 'cost UK economy more than £1bn' |
| Last month's record-breaking heatwave cost the UK economy an estimated £1.15bn and resulted in 24m lost working hours, according to research by the London School of Economics' Grantham Research Institute. The study found that workers lost an average of 0.47 hours during the final week of June. The survey also found that 5% of respondents sought medical attention and around 3% reported an accident or injury at work during that week, with around two-thirds of them feeling it was linked to the weather. Elizabeth Robinson, the institute's director, said: “Our findings point to a country that remains insufficiently adapted to the changing climate. The government cannot continue to ignore extreme heat. Unless it acts now, and makes workplaces safer, we are likely to see growing impacts on workers' productivity, health, and the economy.” Shouro Dasgupta, environmental economist at the Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change (CMCC), said: “While £1 billion is lost overall, the greatest effects are borne by outdoor workers and those in physically demanding jobs, many of whom are among the lowest paid in the labour force. Extreme heat is widening existing inequalities in the labour force.” |
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