UK needs urgent plan to protect health during heatwaves, MPs warn

The UK government is underprepared to deal with the deadly impact of heatwaves and must invest in measures to tackle this, a committee of MPs has warned.The Environmental Audit Committee said that the “silent killer” of heatwaves could claim as many as 10 000 lives a year in the UK without concerted action and that the most vulnerable people were at greatest risk.1 In 2022 UK temperatures passed 40°C for the first time, and 2023 was the world’s hottest year on record.“The record temperatures we are seeing in UK summers, triggered by climate change, pose significant risks to health and wellbeing, and swift action must now be taken to adapt to the UK’s changing climate,” said the committee’s chair, Philip Dunne. “Existing government policy fails to grasp the urgency of the task at hand.”During its inquiry into the issue the committee heard that physical and mental health can be severely…
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