"Kuwait's inferno: how will the world's hottest city survive climate change?" 18 Aug. 2017

...Kuwait’s climate has been steadily heating up...[T]he Gulf state...was last year awarded the grim prize of being the hottest place on earth...Nearly 70% of Kuwait’s population is made up of migrant workers, many of whom power the near-constant construction of new office complexes and malls across the state. Though labour legislation now bans work outdoors between 12pm and 4pm, many are seen toiling through the hottest hours of the day regardless. During a recent visit, the Guardian witnessed tens of labourers on a building site close to Kuwait international airport working well past the 12pm deadline in 47C heat. Climbing on scaffolding amid the skeleton frame of a future shopping mall, some tried to take shelter in the shade available, as others swigged from bottle of water to cool down. The irony: they were installing air conditioning. One company manager overseeing the site...said...Many of the toughest jobs on the site are subcontracted out...allowing companies to flout laws designed to shield workers from the heat....The conditions for those men and women forced to work outside are set to worsen: between 2010 and 2035, Kuwait’s annual average temperature will increase by 1.6% to 28.7C...Adapting to rising temperatures will require a radical shift in thinking in Kuwait, especially concerning the most vulnerable. “We can’t manage the way these companies work,” says the construction manager, referring to the contractors who incentivise labourers to work outside in punishing conditions. “Of course, when I see labourers working after midday in this heat, it’s horrible. But what can we do? It’s their rules.”