Latest editorial
A crowd of people watch the setting sun from a hill in Ealing, west London, August 11, 2022
UP TO 10,000 people a year in Britain could die as a result of heatwaves, MPs warned today.
Not only will increasingly severe and frequent heatwaves have a profound impact on health, a report by the environmental audit committee has found, they could also cost the economy about £60 billion a year.
In July 2024, the UK Health Security Agency issued its first-ever “level 4” heat alert after temperatures hit 40°C for the first time.
Unions and climate activists pressure government to consider legislation for maximum working temperature
The recent heatwaves revealed how ill-prepared Britain remains for a hotter future – and how unequal the ability to cope with it has become, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
Extreme heat is now one of the defining public health challenges of a warming world, explains Prof IAN WILLIAMS