EAC warns that UK is ill-prepared for soaring temperatures

Decision-makers working on the frontline of the heatwave response state that England is not ready for future extreme heat events

The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) has raised concerns over the UK’s lack of preparedness for rising temperatures after 2022 saw UK temperatures soar to above 40°C for the first time, while 2023 was the world’s hottest year on record.

The EAC report, ‘Heat resilience and sustainable cooling’, warns that the “silent killer” of heatwaves could claim up to 10,000 lives annually in the UK without concerted action, with the most vulnerable at greatest risk. 

EAC Chair, Rt Hon Philip Dunne MP said, “The world is heating up, and in the coming year we may exceed an increase of over 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels: breaking a key ambition of the Paris Agreement. The record temperatures we are seeing in UK summers, triggered by climate change, pose significant risks to health and wellbeing, and swift action must now be taken to adapt to the UK’s changing climate.”

The EAC recommends measures around prioritising passive cooling – that do not involve expending energy – and clear government messaging on the risks of heat events, underpinned by a national strategy on heat resilience.

Nature based solutions offer important passive cooling measures and additional co-benefits. Parks, trees, water bodies and green infrastructure - such as green roofs – can have significant cooling effects and help biodiversity and air quality. The EAC urges the government to adopt a range of these measures.

The EAC also calls on the government to launch a public information campaign, including trial naming heatwaves to boost public recognition of the threat to health and wellbeing. Humidity levels should also be incorporated into weather forecasts and heat-health alerts.

“High temperatures are costing the UK economy £60 billion a year: so measures to address the risks from overheating are simply a no-brainer.”

Dunne continued, “Projections suggest that without action, there could be 10,000 UK heat-related deaths annually. High temperatures are costing the UK economy £60 billion a year: so measures to address the risks from overheating are simply a no-brainer.”

Dr Radhika Khosla, Associate Professor at the Smith School of Enterprise and Environment, University of Oxford, who acted as Specialist Adviser for the EAC’s inquiry, said: “Sustainable cooling has rightly been pushed up the global agenda in recent years as temperatures rise around the world. But now that we recognise the problems from extreme heat, it is imperative we commit to the solutions. 

“Our hope is that this report helps the UK take action to meet its Global Cooling Pledge commitments and, most importantly, helps to save lives and protect people’s wellbeing while reducing emissions from cooling.”

Candice Howarth, Head of Local Climate Action at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science said, “We welcome the report’s recommendation for a national heat resilience strategy and that a locally based approach help deliver and improve heat resilience but this must be backed up by appropriate and long-term funding mechanisms. 

“Our own analysis of the responses to the 2022 heatwaves showed that decision-makers and practitioners working on the frontline of the heatwave response, including emergency responders, medical professionals, third sector and local government state that England is not ready for future extreme heat events.”

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