Record Breaking Heatwave in the UK
Wildfire in East London, July 19th, 2022
On July 19th of this year, approximately 135 people were rushed out of their homes in East London; asked to abandon pets and belongings with no certainty that they would be reunited. Meanwhile, 15 fire engines accompanied by 100 fire fighters remained behind to manage the blazing fires. The flames erupted on the hottest day Britain has ever experienced. The country was ill-prepared for temperatures of up to 40 degrees.
Evidence of a growing crisis
According to Stephen Belcher, the chief of science and technology of the UK Met Office, experts never envisioned such high temperatures hitting the UK within this decade - yet here we are. By 2100, a high emission scenario could lead to 40 degrees Celsius becoming the new norm. To be able to visualise the devastating effects of wildfires more broadly, satellite images depict England’s landscape around the same time last year, highlighting the effect of the heatwave on the country as a whole. Britain’s former lush green landscape has dried out due to the prolonged hot weather and wildfires.
There has been recent comparison between the latest heatwave to the heatwave of 1976. Those who lived through the summer of ’76 are likely to dismiss the current situation as a similar aberration, however, they’d be wrong. As Professor Nigel Arnell from Reading University asserted, the summer of 76 was “disruptive’’ and not “as extreme’’ as what we are currently experiencing. Evidence confirms temperatures are growing abnormally around the globe. This is clear from wildfires in Athens, as well as parts of Africa and Asia, and in record-breaking, life-threatening temperatures in India.
The reality of heatwaves
Are wildfires the only incidents we can expect? The answer, as we have discovered from the recent heatwave, is no. The damage of prolonged heatwaves extends much further, affecting people’s health and disrupting their daily lives. Such effects include the heat damage of railways. Excessive temperatures cause the rails to expand, rendering the trains unusable. This country cannot afford to have such interference with its public transport system. Before the outbreak of the pandemic, an overall number of 1,739 million journeys were recorded throughout the UK. Followed by a recent 990 million since April 1, 2021, until 31 March 2022. Cars present a solution; however, they are not environmentally friendly and roads in the UK also suffer from heat exposure. Roads can begin to melt at surface temperatures of 50 degrees, which they regularly reach in the sunlight, even if the daily temperature is only 30 degrees.
Rising temperatures are also a serious threat to our health. Some of the most common symptoms of heatstroke include heavy sweating accompanied by faintness and fatigue, weak or rapid pulse, persistent headaches and occasionally nausea. Heatstroke targets our hearts and lungs, making the condition particularly dangerous for older individuals, pregnant women, and developing children. While all victims of heat stroke are advised to see a doctor, hospitals do not have the capacity to handle the influx of heat-related incidents. For example, Derbyshire Community Health Services recently announced critical status, stating that there would be a delay of 3 to 6 days between increasing temperatures and a rise in hospital admissions. In 2015, there was an estimate of 2,000 annual deaths due to heat-related health issues, which according to the UK Health Security Agency confirmed another 2,000 deaths in 2020. Climate change advisers working alongside the government have made it clear that deaths as a result of overheating could triple by 2050, assuming a lack of action is taken mitigate and adapt to rising temperatures.
The 2015 study carried out by the Department for Communities and Local Government made a direct comparison between the 2,000 deaths caused by heat and a supposed figure of 25,000 deaths caused by the cold every year. However, making such a comparison is rather disconnected given the current state of climate change, but furthermore is inaccurate for the time. What truly makes this issue of overheating so dangerous is its capacity to go unobserved. Other than the direct impact of hot weather, such as heatstroke or fires, overheating contributes to pre-existing diseases or conditions.
The current heatwave perpetuates a dangerous cycle, beginning with the lack of proper consideration for the infrastructure of homes. In efforts to save money and time, we fail to consider how to build homes that will stay cool. The repercussions for cutting corners are catastrophic: health crises, homelessness, and forced migration. Such a reality will affect the UK’s most vulnerable population group disproportionately. These groups include people with long term health conditions, disabilities, the elderly, and low-income households among others (see article ‘Overheating and Social Housing’). The more the government avoids this problem, the more unmanageable these issues become.
What can we do?
Sadly, it is only the beginning as this issue persists and grows in August and potentially beyond. The forecaster for Exacta Weather, James Maddenhad predicted a second round of record temperatures. The Met Office has also suggested a second heat wave before the summer is over. Leaders are advising us to protect ourselves, therefore, here are some of our tips on how to approach dealing with the heat:
Staying hydrated
Keeping a look out for symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, which can be found here
If outside, find green spaces to hang out, as they provide free cooling and shade
Check on your family and neighbours
But to attack the problem more sustainably, the UK must embrace long-term change in adapting its homes and services to the increased temperatures. This is not merely a suggestion, but a necessity for our collective survival.