The news reports of recent days have once again sharpened the focus on this issue. Heatwaves in Flanders not only cause physical discomfort but also expose how vulnerable our infrastructure, economy, and society are to extreme weather conditions.
Drawbridges remain closed, concrete roads crack open, and local businesses, like a traditional bakery in Leefdaal, close their doors during the hottest hours of the day. These situations show how extreme heat not only puts pressure on our mobility and facilities but also has direct consequences for the economy, daily work, and the livability of cities and regions.
Heat plans remain stuck in crisis mode
Despite this, the public debate about heat plans often remains focused on crisis management. Only when temperatures rise does attention grow, but it fades just as quickly when the weather cools down. Yet the impact of extreme heat is structural and extends far beyond the healthcare sector. It is a social, economic, and spatial challenge that demands preparation and a long-term vision.
Our systems are not designed for heat
Our cities, labor market, and spatial planning were historically not designed for a warmer climate.
The heat issue highlights how urban hardscaping, the lack of adaptive infrastructure, a lack of focus on climate-resilient work reinforce one another.
Sectors such as construction, logistics, healthcare, and public services are already experiencing the consequences, including loss of productivity, increased workload, and health risks.
The invisible effects of extreme heat
There are also less visible but equally significant impacts:
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Decreasing labor participation among vulnerable groups
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Productivity loss for those working in non-climate-resilient buildings
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Rising inequality due to differences in living environments
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Mental strain from continuous crises
Those with little choice over work format, location, or conditions bear a disproportionately large risk. That’s why climate adaptation is also a matter of social justice and inclusion.
Heat resilience requires integrated policies
What’s missing in the debate is the awareness that heat resilience is not just a sum of isolated measures.
It requires an integrated, forward-looking approach in which policy domains collaborate, such as:
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Urban planning
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Employment
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Public health
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Social protection
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Economic development
These domains are inextricably linked.
From voluntary actions to structural adaptation
The choice is not whether we invest in climate adaptation, but how targeted and inclusive we do it.
This requires more than just a heat plan for public health.
Heat resilience must be structurally embedded in:
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Spatial planning
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Labor market policies
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Economic strategies
What does this mean for employers and policymakers?
For employers, this means:
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Anticipating climate impacts
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Investing in measures to improve job quality and workability
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Rethinking work organization
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Strengthening climate-related skills and competencies
For policymakers, it means:
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Better alignment between policy domains and levels of government
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Avoiding fragmented or non-committal climate adaptation efforts
Climate adaptation does not stop at the front door of organizations
The impact of heat does not stop at the borders of organizations or policy domains.
It demands a shared long-term vision, one in which work, space, health, and the evolving climate are considered together.
Climate adaptation is not just about reducing the impact of organizations on the climate but equally about how climate change itself penetrates organizations, into the workplace and into the daily reality of workers.
