Our work

What we do

HeatWatch builds awareness, evidence, and pressure for change on extreme heat. We work with workers, communities, researchers, and allies to document lived realities, strengthen public understanding, and turn that knowledge into advocacy. Our work also connects research to action so that extreme heat is recognised not as an individual burden, but as a systemic issue requiring stronger protections, accountable institutions, and urgent, equitable responses.

Theory of change

We believe extreme heat is not only a climate risk, but a structural injustice shaped by inequality, weak protection, and policy failure. When the experiences of those most affected are documented, translated into evidence, and amplified through organising and advocacy, they shift public understanding and build pressure for change. That pressure can drive stronger protections, more accountable institutions, and better-resourced responses from employers, governments, and other decision-makers. Over time, this creates the conditions for heat to be treated as an occupational hazard and a public health priority.

Burning Shifts

Garment Workers

Garment workers operate on factory floors that trap heat, working next to machines that run at extreme temperatures. We study how heat stress affects workers on the factory floor and identify the standards the industry needs to meet.

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Construction Workers

Construction workers labour in open sites through India's hottest months with little access to shade, rest breaks or cooling infrastructure. HeatWatch studies the health risks they carry and builds the case for enforceable protections.

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Domestic worker

Domestic Workers

Domestic workers work inside homes across Indian cities, often in poorly-ventilated spaces with little control over their hours or conditions. We look at how rising temperatures shape their daily lives and what meaningful protection for invisible workforce could look like.

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Waste Pickers

Waste Workers

Waste workers begin their rounds before sunrise and work through the heat with limited access to water, sanitation and shade. HeatWatch studies how rising temperatures affect their health and income, and works with them to understand what safer work would actually look like.

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Gig and Platform Workers

Gig and Platform Workers

Platform workers navigate urban streets in peak heat with little access to shade, rest or basic facilities. We study how extreme heat shapes their livelihoods and identify the protections needed in the platform economy.

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