Cara Schulte, the 2024 Malini Chowdhury Fellow on Bangladesh Studies, has published a new report with Climate Rights International, My Body Is Burning: Climate Change, Extreme Heat, and Labor Rights in Bangladesh (July 2025). Drawing on her fellowship research, the report documents the health and human rights impacts of rising temperatures on workers in Dhaka. The full report is available HERE, along with a short video overview HERE
Schulte also discussed her research in a recent podcast interview, where she highlighted the role of the Chowdhury Center. You can listen to the episode HERE
Reflecting on the publication of these projects, Schulte expressed gratitude to the Chowdhury Center for its support and shared her excitement at seeing this work reach wider audiences. She is now actively engaged in advocacy, including with the International Accord, to advance heat safety protections for workers across Bangladesh.
CRI Bangladesh Report
“My Body Is Burning”
Climate Change, Extreme Heat, and Labor Rights in Bangladesh
July 2025
Key Findings
The report highlights how rising temperatures are pushing Dhaka’s workers—especially in the garment, construction, and transportation sectors—into dangerous conditions. Workers reported fainting, dehydration, kidney problems, and even deaths from heatstroke. Pregnant women faced heightened risks, and many workers described being forced to continue without rest, hydration, or medical care. Low wages, forced overtime, and harassment compounded these dangers, leaving workers unable to adapt or protect themselves.
Key Recommendations
The report calls for urgent action from multiple stakeholders:
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Government: Establish national heat safety standards, mandate work–rest breaks, ensure access to clean water and toilets, strengthen labor law enforcement, and expand protections to informal workers.
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Employers: Improve ventilation and shade, guarantee hydration and toilet access, and provide training and accommodations for vulnerable groups, including pregnant workers.
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Brands & Companies: Enforce minimum workplace heat standards in supply chains, ensure fair wages, and adopt binding agreements like the International Accord to protect worker health.
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International Community: Increase climate finance for adaptation in low- and middle-income countries and hold corporations accountable for heat-related human rights risks.
Together, these steps are critical to protecting workers as Bangladesh—and the world—faces intensifying climate challenges.