London has launched its first-ever city-wide plan to tackle extreme heat, as new analysis warns that around one million homes in the capital could be at high risk of overheating.
The new Heat Ready London strategy, unveiled by Mayor Sadiq Khan during London Climate Action Week, sets out a long-term vision to help the capital adapt to increasingly frequent and severe heatwaves as climate change pushes temperatures ever higher.
Hot weather is already placing growing pressure on London’s health services, contributing to nearly 4,000 extra hospital visits each summer and an estimated 300 preventable deaths annually. Without action, heat-related hospital admissions across the UK could triple by 2050.
The report highlights the scale of the challenge facing the capital. Alongside the estimated one million homes vulnerable to overheating, it identifies 1,361 schools, 60 hospitals and 351 care homes located in areas at high risk from extreme heat.
Researchers estimate that the 2022 heatwaves cost London around £1.5 billion through impacts on healthcare, transport, energy use, education, emergency services, wildfires and lost productivity. During that summer, the London Fire Brigade experienced its busiest day since the Second World War as firefighters responded to numerous fires fuelled by the hot, dry conditions.
Heat also poses a growing threat to public health. London sees almost 4,000 additional hospital attendances during periods of hot weather each summer, while around 300 heat-related deaths each year are considered preventable. Experts warn these figures could rise sharply unless cities adapt to a warming climate.
Rather than introducing a single programme, Heat Ready London provides a framework for organisations across the capital to work together to reduce heat risks. It identifies 37 priority actions, including retrofitting homes to reduce overheating, expanding access to cooling spaces and drinking water, planting more trees to increase shade, improving access to rivers and other blue spaces, strengthening health services during heatwaves and making transport and other critical infrastructure more resilient.
Transport for London has already introduced air-conditioned trains on around 40% of the Underground network, while all Elizabeth line and London Overground trains are air conditioned. Cooling measures at stations and thousands of free water refill points are also helping people cope during periods of extreme heat.
The Mayor said adapting to rising temperatures is also an issue of fairness, as older people, young children, those with health conditions and residents living in poorly insulated homes are often most vulnerable. The new strategy aims to ensure London is better prepared for a future in which dangerous summer heat becomes the norm rather than the exception.
Dr Alan Dangour, Director of Climate & Health at Wellcome, said: ‘Climate change is driving hotter summers and more frequent heatwaves, and London is more exposed to heat risk than anywhere else in the UK. Without action, the health impacts of climate change will only intensify – with groups like pregnant women, outdoor workers and older people most at risk. The Mayor’s vision – from public health guidance to preventative measures – provides an essential framework for the whole of society to act together to save lives and keep Londoners safe.’
The full report can be read here.
Photo: Jackie Jabson