UK built for climate that no longer exists' and needs urgent changes to survive global heating, report warns

"British homes will need air conditioning to survive predicted levels of global heating, the government's climate advisers have warned in a report, as measures such as drawing curtains, opening windows and growing trees for shade are not likely to be enough. Air conditioning should be installed in all care homes and hospitals within the next 10 years, and in all schools within 25 years, according to the Climate Change Committee (CCC), which published a major report on adapting to the impacts of global heating on Wednesday."

"The government should also set a maximum temperature for working, indoors and outdoors, the advisers said. The UK should prepare for 2C of global heating by 2050, as attempts to limit temperatures to 1.5C above preindustrial levels under the Paris agreement appeared likely to fail. Graphic Heatwaves are expected to exceed 40C in all parts of the UK by 2050. Periods of hot weather will be longer, which could lead to an additional 10,000 heat-related deaths a year."

"About nine in 10 UK homes are likely to overheat. Julia King, the chair of the adaptation subcommittee of the CCC, said of the many climate threats laid out in the report, extreme heat posed the most immediate risk to life. Extreme heat is certainly the most deadly of the climate impacts on the UK, so we need to see cooling rolled out at scale, she said. Sometimes this will mean shading, but sometimes it will mean air conditioning."

"Current air conditioning systems are seen as energy-intensive, accounting for about 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. In 2022, when temperatures rose above 40C, it resulted in about 3,000 excess deaths, with periods of extreme heat likely to become the new normal. Rather than install cooling everywhere, people could choose to have one cool room to be used during heatwaves, the report said."

Predicted global heating will make extreme heat a primary life-threatening risk in the UK. Heatwaves are expected to exceed 40C across the country by 2050, with longer hot periods that could add about 10,000 heat-related deaths each year. About nine in 10 UK homes are likely to overheat. Measures such as drawing curtains, opening windows, and growing trees for shade are not expected to be sufficient. Cooling should be rolled out at scale, including air conditioning for care homes and hospitals within 10 years and for schools within 25 years. The government should set maximum temperature limits for working indoors and outdoors. Current air conditioning is energy-intensive, contributing about 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and a strategy may include one cool room during heatwaves.

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