Brutal heat is broasting large, heavily populated, swaths of the southern U.S. with more than 100 million people under heat alerts. “Extreme heat and humidity will significantly increase the potential for heat related illnesses, particularly for those working or participating in outdoor activities,” the National Weather Service in Dallas warned. That warning is especially salient in Texas, where multiple workers have already died during the most recent heatwave — along with an uncounted number of incarcerated people — and where state lawmakers recently banned localities from enacting heat safety protections for workers. “We do not recommend working from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. under the sun,” David Delgado, a construction supervisor in Laredo, told the Texas Tribune. “But we have to work because we have to eat, right?” (Heat: Washington Post $, AP, Reuters, Axios; Texas workers: Texas Tribune; Grid strain: OilPrice; Climate Signals background: Extreme heat and heatwaves)
