UAE: Migrant Worker Abuses Linked to Broader Climate Harms

Migrant workers in the United Arab Emirates are exposed to escalating climate risks, especially working in extreme heat without adequate protections, which can cause chronic harms to their health, Human Rights Watch said today. Additionally, migrant workers face other widespread labor abuses like wage theft and exorbitant recruitment fees that have restricted their abilities to support their families back home, including during extreme weather events often linked to climate change. These abuses are occurring in a context where the UAE and other historic emitters are fueling the climate crisis. The UAE is one of the world’s largest oil producers and among the highest per capita emitters of greenhouse gases.