I'm a Climate Communicator: Britain's Heatwaves Feel Like Summer—But They're a Sign of Something Much Bigger

There are moments when the climate crisis stops feeling like something that belongs to the future and becomes horrifyingly immediate.

Last week, the heat-struck UK got a dose of climate reality. Because the universe evidently loves irony, record-breaking temperatures coincided with London Climate Action Week. By mid-morning, day one, the Met Office issued its second-ever Red Warning for extreme heat and London Climate Week announced that several events on extreme heat would be cancelled due to… extreme heat.

To reflect the new reality, Greenpeace updated iconic tube station signs. Baker Street to Baking Street and London Bridge to London’s Burning. But many clung to the idea that heatwaves are joyous occasions, and all issues can be remedied with a Mr Whippy ice cream in the park.

"Heatwave Delusion" and the deadliest form of extreme weather

I call this the Heatwave Delusion. We can trace it back to the summer of 1976, when the UK saw two weeks of temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius and drought conditions, where it became normal to queue for water in the street.

But in time, the bad bits seem to have been forgotten, leaving a memory of the time Brits had fun in the sun and displayed true grit from their deckchairs. It’s so deeply embedded in our collective culture that even if you weren’t born (and I was only two), it has likely affected the way you think about heat, almost as a rare gift.

But what would that same heatwave look like in today's warming world, and in the Britain of 2056? Well, to open London Climate Week, I went to an event built around that one provocative idea.

Escaping into the cool basement of the Lightroom in King’s Cross, we congregated to watch three familiar faces - Laura Tobin, Clare Nasir and Peter Gibbs - deliver a weather forecast for 2056, modelled by scientists at the University of Reading working with the Met Office.

While the map looked reassuringly ordinary, the temperatures did not. In 2056, it showed London reaching 45 degrees Celsius. Scotland climbed into the high 30s. It showed a two-week heatwave in which somewhere in Britain would exceed 40 degrees Celsius for nine consecutive days.

Experts from climate science, food, agriculture, the ambulance service and a top surgeon from London Hospital, Great Ormond Street also took to the stage. They explained that heat isn't just uncomfortable; it’s the deadliest form of extreme weather, placing pressure on hospitals, transport, food systems and the people least able to keep cool. We were left in no doubt. Those summers regarded by previous generations as exceptional - including 1976 – are now becoming the baseline reality. In the future, we may look back on this as one of the cooler summers.

Science colliding with everyday life

Outside, it felt as if the science was colliding with everyday life. As the week wore on, London broke all heat records. London Ambulance broke callout records. At points, emergency call handlers were answering over 500 calls an hour, more than during Covid. Schools closed, and rail services faltered.

It became clear that our infrastructure is built for the past, not the present. I wanted to understand how we can adapt. Luckily, Climate Week was full of people who spend their time thinking of solutions. Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the London Climate Resilience Review, told me how we need to redesign our lives for the climate we now have (not the one in 1976). That means more trees, less concrete paving, homes that stay cool naturally, neighbourhoods where shade is treated as essential infrastructure and public buildings that double as cool refuges.

Fighting for what you love

I discovered Cool off in Culture, a programme involving the BFI and Arts Council England, among others, that encourages us to use cinemas, theatres and museums as cool refuges during extreme heat. I like the idea of our cultural institutions offering not just escape into another world for a couple of hours, but escape from the heat too. Only three per cent of UK homes have air conditioning, so it makes sense for us to look differently at the shared resources we already have.

I learned about the emerging ‘shade-first’ movement, advocating for the cooling power of mature trees, awnings and green spaces (especially in our towns and cities, many of which act as heat islands – driving temperatures up). In a hotter Britain, shade can’t be a luxury. It becomes essential.

I caught up with influencer Nairn King. Originally from Arbroath in Scotland (which could experience temperatures in the mid 30s by 2056), Nairn's content is based on a passion for London life, especially weekend brunch. Looking at the 2056 forecast, I asked, ‘What are you thinking?’ Nairn paused. ‘The London summer is the point,’ came the reply. ‘And that won't be happening in 45-degree heat.’ A reminder that whatever it is we love, we need to fight for it.