The UK must prepare for widespread air conditioning as the country faces temperatures exceeding 40°C by 2050, according to a landmark report from the Climate Change Committee (CCC). The report warns that current measures such as drawing curtains, opening windows, and planting trees for shade will not be sufficient to cope with predicted levels of global heating.
The CCC recommends that air conditioning be installed in all care homes and hospitals within the next decade, and in all schools within 25 years. The government should also set a maximum temperature for both indoor and outdoor working conditions. The report highlights that heatwaves could lead to an additional 10,000 heat-related deaths annually, with about nine in 10 UK homes likely to overheat.
Julia King, chair of the CCC's adaptation subcommittee, described extreme heat as the most immediate climate risk to life in the UK. “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. The report notes that the 2022 heatwave, when temperatures exceeded 40°C, resulted in about 3,000 excess deaths, and such events are likely to become “the new normal”.
However, air conditioning is energy-intensive, accounting for about 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The CCC suggests that more efficient systems using heat pumps, already subsidised by the government, could be deployed. Sam Alvis of the IPPR thinktank called for more solar panels alongside air conditioning, noting that solar energy matches the demand for cooling during hot periods.
The report also warns of increased flooding, droughts, and wildfires. Without action, the 7 million UK properties at risk of flooding could increase by 40% by 2050, and river flows could be a third lower in summer. The climate crisis is costing the UK about £60bn annually, or roughly 2% of GDP. “The UK was built for a climate that no longer exists today and will be increasingly distant in years to come,” the report concludes.
