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The government’s advisory body on climate, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), has urged the UK to set maximum temperature limits in workplaces to safeguard people as heatwaves become more frequent and severe due to climate change. The committee has emphasized the importance of prioritizing the installation of air conditioning and other cooling technologies in facilities such as schools and hospitals. Rising temperatures and extreme weather events are increasingly threatening aspects of everyday British life, including sports events and music festivals.
Baroness Brown, who chairs the CCC’s Adaptation Committee, strongly criticized successive governments for insufficient action in addressing current and future climate risks. She highlighted that the British way of life is genuinely at risk because of the changing climate. “We need to recognise that there are aspects of our British way of life which are now really under threat from climate,” she remarked. Emphasizing the clarity of the problem and solutions, she added, “It’s not rocket science – we know what to do [… but] we haven’t yet seen a government that’s prepared to prioritise adapting to the change of climate [… and] protecting the people and the places that we love.”
The CCC stressed that the UK’s infrastructure and systems were designed for a climate that no longer exists, making adaptation urgent and unavoidable. Scientific data confirms that climate change is significantly altering weather patterns, resulting in hotter summers, wetter winters, and more intense weather extremes. For example, by mid-century, certain UK river catchments may experience peak flows during heavy rain up to 45% higher than today. Additionally, droughts have affected several regions recently, highlighting vulnerabilities in water resources.
Of particular concern is the health threat posed by extreme heat, which the committee identifies as the most severe climate-related risk to the UK population. They estimate that over 90% of current homes could become uncomfortably hot during future heatwaves. To help protect workers, the CCC recommends setting legal maximum indoor temperatures in workplaces, drawing on models like Spain, where limits of 27°C for sedentary work and 25°C for light physical work are in place. Baroness Brown noted that such regulations could encourage businesses to adopt cooling solutions, such as air conditioning or heat pumps. She also revisited her proposal to adjust school calendars to avoid holding exams during the hottest periods of summer.
Acknowledging the financial implications of adapting to a warmer climate, the committee estimates annual costs around £11 billion shared between public and private sectors. Although this might be an underestimate, they remain confident that the upfront investment will generate substantial long-term savings by mitigating the growing impacts of climate change. “It’s very good value compared to the cost of the impacts of the climate that we’re already seeing,” Baroness Brown said.
In response, Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds stated that the government is actively working to protect people and communities from climate impacts such as flooding, drought, and heat. She underscored the importance of independent scientific advice and pledged that the government will carefully review the CCC’s latest recommendations to advance climate adaptation efforts across the UK
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