Are risks from heatwaves being taken seriously?

Waste Management World: The government has shown itself to be switched on to the climate change threats of flooding and energy insecurity. But it is falling behind on another climate risk - the need to adapt the built environment to the risks posed by heatwaves.

The government has shown itself to be switched on to the climate change threats of flooding and energy insecurity. But it is falling behind on another climate risk – the need to adapt the built environment to the risks posed by heatwaves. Last week saw the landmark Exercise Watermark four-day flood resilience exercise carried out across the country.

But there are no plans for such an exercise to judge the UK's readiness for heatwaves, which ? like flooding ? are expected to increase in frequency and intensity as climate change intensifies. "Global warming" is a term that has fallen out of fashion, but of course the fundamental consequence of climate change is rising temperatures.

…Social policy charity the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) and climate change consultancy AEA last month reported that, in the UK, the effects of heatwaves will be worst felt in "urban heat islands" ? metropolitan areas that are significantly warmer than their rural surrounds because the materials used in the built environment retain heat, and because energy use also produces so much waste heat.

As the country becomes increasingly urbanised, the urban heat island effect will become more common. The problem could be further exacerbated as population growth and transport decarbonisation increase pressure on planners to create higher density living spaces….

A hot day, with babies in a shady spot during the 1911 Eastern North America heat wave