The UK experienced its hottest June day on record on Thursday, with a provisional temperature of 36.4°C recorded in Yeovilton, Somerset, surpassing the 36.1°C set on Wednesday in Gosport, Hampshire, according to the Met Office. This comes as MPs demand urgent government action to tackle what they describe as a 'silent killer' of extreme heat.
MPs Demand Answers on Overheating in Public Buildings
Toby Perkins, chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, has pressed ministers on their plans to address overheating in hospitals, care homes, schools, and prisons. He also sought views on establishing maximum workplace temperatures, prescribing active cooling such as air conditioning, and changing school timetables to adapt to rising temperatures.
Perkins said: 'This week parts of the UK are facing temperatures approaching 40 degrees, a level of extreme heat that was once unthinkable yet now is becoming increasingly likely. The effects of such extreme heat can be disruptive and devastating. Without action, we will see economic productivity take a hit; more people needing attention in hospital and suffering with poor mental health; more hospitals, care homes and schools overheating and more of our critical transport, water, food and IT systems failing. Economic productivity will be hit, but more importantly we will likely see a significant number of deaths as a direct result of the current heatwave.'
Government Falling 'Far Short' According to Climate Advisors
Perkins emphasised that the evidence is clear that extreme heat is an urgent threat to the UK, yet the government is falling 'far short of what is needed', according to its independent climate advisors. He added: 'Taking action carries a significant cost. But the cost of doing nothing is far, far greater. I want to know what action the government is taking to tackle extreme overheating, a problem that will only grow worse without intervention, as well as its views on important measures to adapt to what seems to be our new normal.'
Record-Breaking Heat and Emergency Services Strain
London Ambulance Service reported its highest ever number of life-threatening emergencies on Wednesday, driven by the extreme heat. Meanwhile, a study by the World Weather Attribution found that the current European heatwave would have been virtually impossible in 1976, with climate change 'unequivocally to blame' for the current conditions.
Gareth Redmond-King, head of international programme at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, said: 'That this week's day and night-time temperatures in Europe's heatwave would have been virtually impossible back in 1976 is a stark reminder of what our continued burning of oil, gas, and coal has done to knock our climate system out of balance. But in a sense this is just the beginning, and until we reach net zero emissions, bringing our climate back into balance, the temperature records will continue to go up and up, and the impacts on our hospitals, the elderly and very young will be ever greater. Looking back, the 1976 heatwave was clearly a one-off, but scroll forwards to now, and the records continue to be broken.'
