London is getting hotter, and our capital needs to prepare. The urban heat island effect is intensifying heat and in July 2022, London broke all temperature records by breaching 40°C, resulting in the Government declaring a national emergency.
This year the Met Office predicts 2024 could be the hottest year yet on record.
What does this mean for London?
So far, the city has focused on flooding as our principal climate risk. But how can we tackle the other two risks – heat and drought – better? How can we reduce emissions to meet the decarbonisation challenge, as well as adapt to warming temperatures, water insecurity and build our city’s resilience to all these climate risks in an integrated way?
Beat the Heat AT LCAW
This year London Climate Action Week is teaming up with the Red Cross in Britain – and internationally through the Red Cross & Red Crescent federation – to bring attention to the urgent need to prepare ourselves for heat: more frequent and intense heatwaves as the world warms.
We’re proud to have put London on the map by becoming one of the first global cities to get behind the #BeatTheHeat campaign and confront the urban heat stress challenge.
From our homes and workplaces, to hospitals, schools, stadiums and care homes, our message is clear: all Londoners need to prepare for rising summer temperatures and increased heat stress. Every institution across our city and every individual will have a role to play. Vulnerable groups such as the elderly and the homeless must receive targeted support and attention.
This LCAW we invite all event organisers and participants to join us in promoting the #BeatTheHeat message and invest in building a more resilient London.
The #BeatTheHeat message is already being picked up in programming across London Climate Action Week. With superstars such as Taylor Swift and Green Day performing at Wembley Stadium during LCAW, we’ve picked up on the risks of heat stroke in large stadium settings – something Taylor Swift knows only too well – and incorporated this in fun and educational exercises for London’s schoolchildren as part of our London Climate Curriculum.
We’re also incorporating this message in a variety of events and panels: ranging from a discussion on sports and climate change, to partnering with UCL’s Annual Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, and hosting a multimedia panel on Antarctica and the Arctic with artists and filmmakers addressing Climate Change and the Three Poles at the Royal Geographical Society in Kensington.
Why not organise an event of your own addressing the issue and sharing your solutions?
Our Resources
To help you, we have some great resources provided by our Red Cross partners. Heatwaves are among the deadliest natural hazards facing humanity. The threat they pose will only become more serious and more widespread as the climate crisis continues. You can find their Heat Toolkit here and City Heatwave guide here.
Malini Mehra is an LCAW Ambassador, Commissioner to the Mayor of London on sustainable development, and Advisor to the Head of the United Nation’s office on disaster risk reduction (UNDRR).
Heat Robot Over London Artwork was developed by the artists Andrew Rae and Ruskin Kyle.
Related events
CLIMATE CHANGE & THE THREE POLES: Using art to communicate crisis and opportunity
People’s Assembly on ‘Heat and Shade’ in Islington
