The Met Office has issued its first ‘red extreme’ heat alert, while the government has declared a national heatwave emergency for the first time, saying even fit and healthy people are at risk of dying from the blisters. Widespread disruption is expected with trains canceled and Britons told to stay home. MPs and government advisers have warned that homes, town centers and NHS services must urgently adapt and better action plans be put in place for when extreme heat strikes, as the Met Office predicts temperatures of 35C could be seen a once every three years until the end of the decade. Parliament on Friday (PA) Richard Millar, head of adaptation at the Commission on Climate Change, which advises the government, told the Independent that around 2,000 people die each year from heat-related injuries and illnesses in the UK, but this number could rise to about 7,000 by mid-century. The government is not acting urgently to adapt to climate change. “There is a clear need to do more to help address these health-related impacts of heat,” he said. This would require buildings to be adapted, as 20 per cent of UK homes already overheat and “we can expect that number to increase in the future”, Mr Millar said. The warning comes just weeks after the Commission on Climate Change (CCC) condemned a “shocking gap” in government policy to better insulate homes, which if done correctly will protect against the heat. He said despite spending promises in 2019 and a commitment to new policies last year, neither had materialised. But when asked about the heat warning on Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab told Sky News that Britons should “enjoy the sunshine”, adding: “We should be quite resilient to some of the pressures that will exercise”. Baroness Brown, chair of the CCC’s Adaptation Committee, said tackling the risk of heat now must be a “key” priority for the government. “Our climate is changing today and will continue to do so. Action on global warming is now urgent,” he said. To better adapt to extreme heat and protect lives, the Commission on Climate Change called on the government to ensure ventilation, insulation and external drafts are installed in new and existing homes. It also wants to clarify upper temperature limits for workplaces, include more vegetation and water in the design of cities, and ensure that electricity and utility networks can withstand the heat of the future. Marina Romanello, director of the Lancet Countdown, which monitors and works to promote progress in health and climate change, said this was important because services such as the NHS were already struggling to cope with this summer’s heat. “You have a huge demand on the NHS, hospitals can’t cope with these temperatures – many of them don’t even have air conditioning,” he said. “All indications are that we will not be able to adapt to warming that is much higher than it is now.” People walk past Big Ben at the Houses of Parliament in London on Friday. (PA) Ms Romanello said the government needed to develop stronger early warning systems and action plans during heatwaves for public services. “The NHS has an emergency plan, but you will certainly need to step it up in the face of increasing heatwaves,” he said. “You’re going to need to be able to reach out and reach out to people in a more tailored approach than we do right now.” This would require more funding and resources and better alignment between the social care and health systems, as well as with the Met Office, he added. The previous highest temperature recorded in the UK was 38.7 degrees Celsius in Cambridge in 2019. Wera Hobhouse, the Liberal Democrats’ climate change and energy spokeswoman, said the extreme heat was “straining” public services that had already been “decimated” by the government. “Ambulance services are now facing the kind of pressure that is normally seen in winter and so far there has been no attempt to deal with that,” he told the Independent. “The government needs to come up with a plan to support overstretched health and social care services and implement a plan for future heatwaves,” he added. Climate scientists have repeatedly warned that human-caused climate change is making UK heatwaves more frequent and more intense. Caroline Lucas, the Greens MP for Brighton, said measures including planting more trees on streets, creating more green walls and roofs or protecting green spaces in towns and cities could help make cities and towns cooler. living spaces. “But frankly, the best way to deal with extreme heat is to keep fossil fuels in the ground and reduce carbon emissions,” he said. “We cannot give the green light to new climate-damaging oil and gas projects in the North Sea, or coal mines in Cumbria, if we want to keep global temperatures in check. We are in a climate emergency – we need to act like it.” A government spokesman said: “Ministers and officials are working across government with devolved administrations, as well as our partners, to assess and mitigate the effects of the heatwave and we are already taking all the necessary steps to protect the public. Effective Emergency measures will be immediately put in place if and when needed, whether it is to support the NHS or train services. “We would urge everyone to continue to take precautions to ensure they are able to stay cool as well as support vulnerable families, friends and neighbors who may be struggling the most to cope.” The NHS has tried and tested emergency plans for a wide range of scenarios, including heatwaves, the spokesman added.
