Previous efforts to regulate working in the heat have been inconsistent in method, delivery and application. The U.S. Army and state of California both have effective standards for working in the heat. For the federal standard to be successful, it will require going a step further and considering other factors, such as humidity, which can play a large role in heat-related illness and worker fatality. July 2021 was Earth's hottest month in more than 140 years (Lindsey, 2021). Temperatures in Death Valley, CA, were recorded at 130 °F, even higher than the record-breaking levels recorded the year prior. In August 2021, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a report stating that even with a drastic drop in emissions and other efforts to slow the effects of climate change, a 1.5 ℃ increase in global temperature is inevitable by 2040. If insufficient efforts are made to curb human impact on climate change, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projects that temperatures will continue to increase even further, creating the potential for areas unsustainable for habitation.
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