The United Kingdom was built for a climate that no longer exists, and its homes, hospitals and schools are not ready for the heat that is coming, the British Climate Change Committee said on 20 May. The committee warned that traditional fixes such as closing curtains, opening windows and planting shade-giving trees will not be enough as temperatures keep rising.
The report’s central recommendation is blunt: all care homes and hospitals in England should be fitted with air conditioning within the next 10 years, and schools within the next 25. It also called on the government to set maximum indoor and outdoor temperatures for buildings, arguing that the country must prepare for a future in which global warming reaches 2°C by 2050 and heatwaves top 40°C across the country.
Julia King, who led the committee’s adaptation work, said extreme heat is now the most direct climate threat to human life in Britain. She said it is also the country’s deadliest climate factor, and that cooling systems must be rolled out on a wide scale. In a separate warning, she said protection for the most vulnerable people in hospitals, care homes and schools cannot rely on shade alone and may require air conditioning as well.
The scale of the risk is already visible. In 2022, Britain saw temperatures rise above 40°C for the first time, and the country recorded about 3,000 deaths. The committee said such heatwaves may soon become the new normal. It estimated that about 90% of homes in England are at risk of overheating and warned that prolonged extreme weather could push annual heat-related deaths up by about 10,000.
The report lands as the government is being pressed to shift from talking about climate targets to preparing for the country it will actually have. The goal of keeping warming below 1.5°C under the Paris Agreement is becoming harder to achieve, the committee said, and researchers believe Britain must plan for a world that is at least 2°C warmer by mid-century. That has consequences not only for summer heat, but for flood risk as well: the report warned that the number of properties exposed to flooding could rise by 40% by 2050 if no action is taken.
The committee’s message was that adaptation can no longer be treated as a side issue. The way Britain cools buildings, protects patients and pupils, and designs its energy system now has to be considered together. That matters because air conditioners themselves account for about 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, which means a simple rush to install them could add to the problem if it is not paired with cleaner power.
Sam Alvis said Britain will have to get used to living in a warmer country. He also argued that rooftop solar should expand alongside air conditioning, since demand for cooling usually rises when solar power peaks. In his view, that makes cooling not just a challenge for the grid but a potential fit with it.
For Britain, the report is a turning point. The question is no longer whether extreme heat will arrive, but how quickly the country can remake the places where people sleep, work, learn and are cared for before the next dangerous summer becomes routine.
