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Farmworkers are making — and enforcing — the strongest heat protection rules in the country

Feb 29, 2024
Farms that participate in the Fair Food Program ensure workers have access to things like shade and water. In return, they're first in line to sell to big buyers.
Farms participating in the Fair Food Program ensure farmworkers receive certain heat protections, including access to shaded areas and water.
Photo Courtesy of Eva Marie Uzcategui for The Washington Post

"We just can't function in the same way": Extreme heat and worker productivity

Aug 19, 2022
Extreme heat isn't just uncomfortable. It can hurt workers' health and make them prone to errors, one expert says.
The threshold where heat starts to really affect how well people can focus and work is roughly 90 degrees, says Amir Jina at the University of Chicago.
Mark Makela/Getty Images

Biden administration launches Heat.gov as extreme heat becomes more common

Aug 1, 2022
The government also boosts funding for a FEMA program to help communities prepare for extreme heat and other climate-related disasters.
While the government is taking steps to address the impacts of extreme heat, climate experts worry that the problem could worsen.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Energy is getting more expensive. More middle-income families are struggling to pay.

May 16, 2022
Between a quarter and a third of U.S. households are said to be energy insecure, and many don't qualify for aid.
Energy costs should take up about 6% of household income, energy experts say. But many low- and middle-income families are spending  multiple times that.
Photo illustration by George Frey/Getty Images

Rural Americans brace for more expensive propane

Oct 29, 2021
Heading into winter, the price of residential propane is higher than it's been in 10 years.
Propane is at its highest price in a decade.
Go Nakamura via Getty Images

Heat exposure can be deadly for farm workers. Now, advocates are asking the feds to step in

Sep 18, 2018
Over the past three decades, about 800 workers have died from heat exposure; almost one in five worked in agriculture.
JOE KLAMAR/AFP/Getty Images

A hot job? A/C repair during a heat wave

Jul 2, 2013
The heat continues to bear down on the Southwest United States. One business that is booming: air conditioner repair.

For public good, not for profit.

High temps hurt economy, outside of Death Valley

Jul 1, 2013
What’s the temperature tolerance to fly a plane? At what degree point does the power grid start shutting down?

Dry weather in U.S. causing fires, hurting farms

Jun 28, 2012
Tens of thousands of people have evacuated from the Colorado Springs area because of a raging wildfire that's threatening homes. Those fires make for some dramatic images, but the real drama for many of us will come from the effect dry weather is having on farms.

After NBA finals, will Heat do a cooldown?

Jun 22, 2012
The Miami Heat, in five games, won the NBA championship last night by... a lot. From a strictly business point of view -- what now?