NUS scientist aims to help vulnerable groups in Singapore, region beat the heat

One of his research priorities is to find out how heat stress affects health, productivity

- Shabana Begum

Years of record-breaking temperatures and severe heatwaves have made heat an issue that governments around the world are increasingly paying attention to.

Singapore, for example, has rolled out a national heat advisory as well as heatwave response plans for various sectors. Heat-reflective paint will also coat more HDB blocks by 2030.

But one Singapore scientist, who has advised the Government on some of these national policies, is now expanding his research focus to include more vulnerable groups here and in the broader South-east Asian region.

Associate Professor Jason Lee, who is the director of NUS' Heat Resilience and Performance Centre, told The Straits Times that he hopes to help more people, such as those who work outdoors, platform workers and children, beat the heat. Key to these efforts is to help these groups cope with the rising mercury without over-reliance on air-conditioning, he added.

Heat in the region is unlike anywhere else, due to the dangerous combination of high humidity and scorching temperatures. This makes it hard for sweat—the body's natural cooling mechanism—to evaporate from the skin.

"Air-conditioning has revolutionised comfort, but its environmental footprint requires us to be careful about where it is deployed," said Prof Lee, 47.

"Prioritising vulnerable populations and adopting complementary cooling strategies, such as fan-assisted ventilation, can promote more sustainable thermal management practices."

He leads Project HeatSafe, which brings together several studies and fieldwork by NUS researchers and partners to investigate how rising temperatures affect the health and productivity of people here and in the region.