The Conversation
Summary
While massive heatwaves are affecting southern Europe, China, the US and many other places, it’s rainy and not particularly warm in the UK. But that doesn’t mean there’s no risk of intense heat: on this exact week last year, the UK broke 40°C for the first time.
The UK, like many countries, has numerous frameworks and plans, such as the Heatwave Plan, Green Infrastructure Framework, and National Infrastructure Delivery Plans. These all relate to or consider climate change. The national adaptation plan should, in theory, draw these together into one coherent approach. However, they are not integrated, don’t consider dependencies between sectors and issues and they lack suitable targets.
The UK could look elsewhere in Europe for inspiration. One analysis of adaptation plans for European cities identified Sofia (Bulgaria) and Galway and Dublin (Ireland) as the best quality. In Slovakia green infrastructure has been developed in the most socially-vulnerable areas of cities. Or it could look to Gujarat, in India, where district cooling schemes have reduced air pollution and reliance on air conditioning.
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