Why gadgets could help us deal with extreme heat
Published: 14 Nov 2023
Humanity is wrestling with the ubiquitous challenges posed by climate change and its extreme impacts on our health. The sunny island of Singapore was not spared when the country hit a 40-year record of 37 degree Celsius in May this year.
As local and global temperatures continue to climb to scorching heights, Associate Professor Jason Lee, Director of the Heat Resilience and Performance Centre (HRPC) at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS Medicine), outlines the possible repercussions of a climate crisis, especially for those working outdoors for prolonged periods of time. Staying indoors is not always an option for many who work outdoors, rain or shine. Using science and technology, people living in an increasingly warming world would be able to use prescribed targeted solutions, from a wide range of safety solutions or gadgets, that would help monitor the onset of heat strain on an individual’s body to avoid the adverse health consequences of staying out in the heat for too long.
To mitigate and reduce the numerous health risks from extreme heat, there is ongoing work done by a team of researchers at the HRPC, who seeks to work with best-in-class partners, locally, regionally and globally, to enhance heat resilience through research and innovations so that people can thrive productively and optimally in a warming world.
The Climate and Us, presented by the Global Climate and Health Alliance, takes audiences on a cinematic journey across the world, highlighting the critical link between our changing climate and its profound effects on our wellbeing. The series explores the realities faced by people worldwide—from the wildfires destroying homes in California, to the air pollution smothering residents in Jakarta, and the strain on people’s access to clean water in South Africa. As well as focusing on communities affected by climate-related disasters and emerging health crises, it also highlights the incredible resilience of people impacted—and the wide-ranging solutions we employ to shield our everyday lives.
Watch the film featuring Assoc Prof Jason Lee and the collective research efforts being done at NUS Medicine’s HRPC here.
Click here to view the other films in The Climate & Us series.
