UK in peril from soaring temperatures without taking action, experts warn

15 July 2023 , 20:20

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Life's a beach in the sunshine, but soaring temperatures could spell real problems for Brits (Image: Getty Images)

Soaring temperatures will have “huge implications” for public health and livelihoods experts have warned, as a sweltering heat wave descends on parts of Europe

Although the ‘Cerberus’ heatwave - named after the three-headed monster from Dante’s Inferno - is not expected to hit the UK, future hot weather spikes could see our buildings acting “like greenhouses”, researchers suggest.

Air conditioning could cause a “vicious cycle” as it becomes increasingly used to deal with high temperatures - therefore with a growing detrimental impact on the environment.

If temperatures reach 2C, which the globe is on track for, the country could face extreme temperatures which we are not yet equipped for.

Oxford University researchers found that the UK would see the relative demand for people needing to cool down grow by 30%, due to more frequent high temperatures, which will also go higher than usual.

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Snoozing in the sun at Bournemouth beach - but trouble may lie ahead for UK residents (PA)

‘Cerberus’, which has largely hit parts of North Africa and the Mediterranean, has seen temperatures reach 48C.

Switzerland will experience a similar growth in the number of people needing to cool down, in research conducted on countries which had a population of larger than five million in 2020.

Dr Radhika Khosla, associate professor and leader of the Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Cooling, said: "It has huge implications for public health and all sustainable development goals, including livelihoods, infrastructure, education, poverty and food and nutrition."

In the published report, researchers called for “immediate, unprecedented, and localised adaptation” in order to tackle the rising temperatures.

Climate experts are claiming the world has just seen its hottest week on record, with heat rises across the globe. Affecting many holidaymakers, ‘Cerberus’ has hit Spain, Italy and Greece.

It is believed to be due to an area of high pressure over the southern Mediterranean, along with Saharan dust clouds making it worse.

It was the Italian Meteorological Society who named the heatwave Cerberus, after the mythological creature who guarded the gates of hell. Cerberus is a three-headed dog, who taunts sinners.

Harry Stedman