Britain must think like a hot country – otherwise inequalities will only grow

It may not always feel like it, but Britons are going to have to get used to living in a hot country.

Temperatures are already 1.4C above the historic norm, and heading for a 2C rise in the next two decades. This may not sound like much, but it will mean far higher temperatures in summer – heatwaves as high as 45C lasting for more than a week, dwarfing the previous record of 40C in 2022 – as well as more frequent droughts and severe flooding, according to a major report published on Wednesday.

Every area of the UK, and nearly every aspect of the infrastructure that underpins our lives, will be affected - from transport and communication infrastructure to our housing, schools, hospitals and care homes. “The UK was built for a climate that no longer exists today and will be increasingly distant in years to come,” the report published by the Climate Change Committee (CCC) states.

Without strong preventive action, a hotter Britain will also be a far more unequal country. Extreme weather will affect people on lower incomes more than those with the means to adapt.

It starts before birth. Pregnant women are among the most vulnerable to high temperatures, a Wellcome study published this week showed. Without the means to cool their homes, women could be at higher risk of pre-term birth, still birth, congenital anomalies and obstetric complications.

Schools are another factor. One study quoted by the CCC found students were more likely to fail an examination if taken at an outside temperature of 32C rather than at 22C. Though the CCC has advised that all schools should have air conditioning by 2050, overstretched education budgets mean this may be rolled out unevenly, if at all.

Temperatures at home matter too – pupils unable to sleep as “tropical nights”, where the temperature does not fall below 20C, will become more common. With nine out of 10 British homes at risk of overheating, the CCC advises that air conditioning may be the only answer, but families that cannot afford it may be able to cool only one room in the home.

Then there is food. Retail prices for staples have already surged owing to the impacts of the climate crisis on crops and yields : climate impacts have added about £360 to the average annual food bill, according to the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, and a 50% rise in prices is forecast by this November, compared with 2021. Richer households may be able to weather these shocks, but the poorest will struggle.