We use cookies where necessary to allow us to understand how people interact with our website and content, so that we can continue to improve our service.
We only ever receive anonymous information, and cannot track you across other websites.
View our privacy policy
Research on the UK’s response to the record breaking 2022 summer heatwaves has found that decision- makers, first responders and community feel England is “not prepared” to manage future extreme heat events – particularly if these were to occur more frequently.
Reflecting on the 2022 heatwave response across England as a whole, as well as specific regions (London, Manchester and Yorkshire and Humber), research participants expressed concerns about a lack of preparedness for the heat, a lack of specific resources and funding, as well as the need for better communication, public engagement and education.
In a related policy note, the authors highlight that:
“The heatwave season of 2022 serves as a warning that England and the rest of the UK are not ready to respond adequately to such extreme heat events. Yet events like this are likely to become more common and severe, thus preparedness needs to be improved to reduce avoidable deaths, minimise the economic impacts of future heatwaves, and shield the most vulnerable from the worst of the effects.”
June-August 2023 was the “warmest on record globally by a large margin, with an average temperature of 16.77°C, 0.66°C above average.” In addition “August 2023 was the warmest August on record globally, and warmer than all other months except July 2023”.
There are many actions that people may carry out to minimise the impacts of heatwaves and extreme heat: from personal protective actions during heat events (e.g. using a fan, lighter clothing), preparative measures (e.g. installing blinds or shutters), and other actions, like seeking out more information, moving location, or engaging in political action.
A new review paper shows that a very broad range of factors influence these behaviours, as well as perceptions about heat.
This includes contextual factors (like geography, physical environment and cultural influences), as well as personal level factors (like knowledge and awareness of risks, past experiences of heat, and pre-existing health conditions).
Communication about heat risks can do much to draw on these influences – including tailoring warning messages to resonate with personal factors, drawing on the role of trusted messengers and clearly attributing risks to climate change.
Media image analysis focusing on the 2019 European heatwaves finds that the visuals appearing in news media typically show people having “fun in the sun”, across the UK, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. People were often depicted as enjoying the hot weather, whether that was sunbathing on beaches, or playing in water. When images did show the dangers of heat extremes, people were generally absent, distant or silhouetted.
The authors highlight that these are generally problematic ways of depicting the serious nature of heatwaves, as they can undermine the severity of heat risks, remove the human element, and marginalise the experiences of those who are particularly vulnerable.
Commenting on the work for the Academy of Social Sciences, research lead Prof Saffron O’Neill points out the dissonance between the content and images across the news stories:
“In all four countries, we found examples of news headlines and image captions talking about the unprecedented heat, vulnerable people and even deaths alongside these sorts of fun-in-the-sun ‘holiday snaps’.”
“The dominance of these two visual framings of extreme heat (‘fun in the sun’ and ‘idea of heat’) displace concerns of vulnerability. In ‘fun in the sun’, no-one is at risk – heatwaves are something to be enjoyed and celebrated.”
“People who are most vulnerable to extreme heat events – young children, older people, those with pre-existing health conditions or people living in poor quality housing – do not feature in the images at all; the risks extreme heat poses to their health and wellbeing is not even acknowledged.”
The summer of 2022 in the UK saw numerous temperature milestones breached. On 19th of July, 40.3°C was recorded at Coningsby, Lincolnshire, setting a new UK and England temperature record by a margin of 1.6°C, while multiple stations across England also exceeded 40°C.
“This heatwave marked a milestone in UK climate history, with 40°C being recorded for the first time in the UK.”
“The UK’s recent extreme heat was far more intense and widespread than previous comparable heatwaves”
In a report that offers a critical evaluation of the Heatwave Plan for England, survey data shows that most people – including those who are most vulnerable – don’t tend to see themselves as being at risk from heat. The authors write:
Most people had positive views of hot weather, and for many it was something they looked forward to as it invoked feelings of good health and well-being. In addition, most adults did not feel that hot weather posed a risk to themselves. As a result, protective measures were often not taken, even those that people felt were effective, such as staying out of the heat and in the shade.
Only 40% of participants aged 75 or older saw themselves personally at risk of hot weather. According to many of those interviewed, risk was associated with physical and mental frailty, not age itself, and there was some resistance, even resentment, to any ‘vulnerable’ label that may be applied to them in this context, as they did not consider themselves ‘frail’.
Making sense of public opinion on climate impacts
People increasingly understand climate change as happening in the ‘here and now’. But there is a long way to go before the severity of climate risks is fully appreciated, and people are fully supported in preparing for and adapting to impacts.