The UK Meteorological Office annually publishes a report called “UK State of the Climate” using data records from the land weather station network and the HadUK-Grid dataset. These reports compare annual weather and climate data to the recorded historical averages to find out and record changes in the climate. These reports have shown that since 1884, the UK’s top 10 warmest years have occurred from 2002 onwards, with temperatures exceeding 40°C for the first time in the UK in 2022.

Climate change has a variety of impacts in the UK, including extreme heat, more regular drought, rising sea levels, changes in rainfall patterns, and floods. If not addressed and properly managed, these impacts can have huge impacts on the UK’s infrastructure, public and private buildings, the built environment, food production, water supply, human health and wellbeing, and many other economic, social, and environmental impacts.

The Impact on Human Health and the UK’s Action:

June 2024 is supposed to be summer in the UK, but summer has not visited most of the areas. The weather varies between cold temperatures, heavy to light showers, cloudy conditions, and even a little snow in some areas. However, some other places are being affected by heat storms, and according to the UK’s Meteorological Office, temperatures are expected to reach highs of 30C, particularly in the southeast, the East Midlands, the east of England, and East Anglia.

According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), extreme heat, particularly in regions with high humidity, can exceed the body’s ability to regulate its temperature. This can damage multiple organs, causing heat illness, including heat cramps, heat exhaustion, or heatstroke. The UKHSA has estimated the number of deaths associated with the hot weather in England at 2,985 and 2,295 in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Most of those who died were vulnerable people aged 65 years and above.

The UKHSA published the report “Health Effects of Climate Change in the UK” in 2023, which provides evidence, analyses, and recommendations based on UK climate change projections. The report is designed to provide information about heat-related policies, analyze efforts across sectors and government, and suggest the grouping of strategies into emergency responses to heat and longer-term planning focused on adaption and heat resilience.

Also, The UKHSA published 2023 the Adverse Weather and Health Plan (AWHP), an overarching policy framework for weather and health, including responding to heat-health risks. The AWHP includes a heat health alert system as an impact-based strategy for preventing heat-related mortality. The alert system has four levels: Green (summer preparedness), Yellow (response), Amber (enhanced response), and Red (emergency response). The AWHP is intended to be implemented and delivered by various partners, including government departments, local authorities, the NHS, and voluntary and community services.

In June this year, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and Met Office issued a yellow heat health alert—to come into force from the morning of 24 June to the afternoon of 27 June—for all of the regions in England, except one region.

The Impact of Floods on Infrastructure, Buildings, The Environment and UK’s Action:

England experienced periods of heavy rain and surface water flooding during August 2022 and January 2023. This followed a long period of hot and dry weather.

Areas that are affected by heavy rainfall are Newquay, Sheffield, Southampton, and 10 London boroughs. The heavy rain caused flooding to several rivers in the Midlands, Southwest, and Somerset regions. The heavy rain events caused several rivers and areas to experience flooding. These are rivers in the Midlands, the South-West, and the Somerset regions. Other areas in Southern England were affected by groundwater flooding, including Dorset and Wiltshire. In 2022/2023, around 160 properties were reported to be affected by flooding, and another 26,400 properties benefited from better protection from flooding.

Somerset Levels & Moors flood, 2023.

Wildfires in the UK:

When comparing the UK with areas with warmer and drier climates, such as South Europe, we find that damage to the UK’s forests is relatively minor. Fires occur mainly in areas where grasslands are close to woodlands or where flammable vegetation is present in open areas at certain times of the year.

The Fire and Rescue Services and the Forestry Commission data show that in the UK, between 2009-2010 and 2015-2016, woodland fires were about 2,500 and 9,000, respectively. These woodland fires were mainly small compared to grassland fires. The area affected by woodland fires ranged between 400 ha (2012) and about 8,700 ha (2011).

During the 2022 United Kingdom heatwave, On 19 July, the hottest day of the year,  a wildfire occurred in Wennington, east London. The wildfire destroyed about 18–19 houses, including all the possessions of many residents, but no one was killed. These data show the statistical variation from year to year; the high wildfire damage occurred in 1995, 2003, 2011, and, 2019, 2022, associated with particularly dry and warm weatherproofing the seasonality of wildfires.

The Impact on Agriculture and the UK’s Action:

Summer 2022 was the UK’s hottest and fifth driest since the 1890s. The drought affected large parts of the country and was the worst in some areas since 1976; the record temperatures of July 2022 caused many crops to fail, from berries to lettuce.

The UK Food Security Report 2021 stated that climate change is the biggest medium—to long-term risk to the UK’s food production. It creates hazards, such as more frequent heavy rainfall and drought, that make lands more vulnerable and lead to soil moisture loss, impacting agricultural productivity. However, there will be opportunities to grow new crops that are better suited and more resilient.

This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard UK Country Manager Hagga Osman.