Inadequate climate protection measures mean at least 6 million lives are at risk from extreme heat in England, analysis has found.
A report by campaign group Friends of the Earth found that older people and young children were the groups most at risk from heatwaves, with 1.7 million children under five and 4.3 million people over 65 living in the most heat-vulnerable areas of England.
The analysis builds on previous research by the University of Manchester and Friends of the Earth, which identified 15,662 neighbourhoods vulnerable to heat, with Birmingham found to have the most.
Heat-vulnerable neighborhoods are defined as those exposed to prolonged periods of very hot weather, averaging 27.5°C (81.5°F) or higher for five or more days, conditions that are becoming more common in a worsening climate.
However, analysts say current figures for the number of people at risk are a conservative estimate and the true number is likely to rise once people of all ages living with disabilities and health problems are taken into account.
Disability rights campaigner Doug Paulley said: “The disproportionate impacts that disabled people are already experiencing, and will continue to experience in the future without better climate change adaptation plans, are a stain on the UK and show how far we still have to go to ensure that disabled people are taken seriously and treated with the respect they deserve.”
In areas identified as high risk of heatwaves, 3.7 million people suffer from high blood pressure, 1.5 million from asthma and 1.6 million from diabetes. All of these conditions are aggravated by extreme heat and can in some cases be life-threatening.
At a High Court hearing next week, Friends of the Earth and two co-claimants, including Paulley, whose lives have already been severely affected by the climate crisis, will challenge the UK’s climate adaptation plans in a case believed to be the first of its kind in the UK.
The group argues that plans put in place by the previous government do not adequately protect people from the expected impacts of climate change and that the new Labour government must bring forward much stronger plans to ensure those most at risk from escalating extreme weather events are adequately protected.
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Mike Childs, head of science, policy and research at Friends of the Earth, said these plans “must include rolling out insulation programmes to keep our homes, care homes, schools and nurseries cool in summer and warm in winter, planting street trees to help cool neighbourhoods during hot spells, and equipping community spaces such as libraries with air conditioning so people can shelter during heatwaves.”
“Global temperature records are being broken year after year, but the UK’s plans to adapt to the climate crisis are falling far short of what is needed to protect communities on the frontline. This failure is putting the lives and health of millions at risk.”
