UK climate advisers call for workplace heat limits and cooling rollout

The United Kingdom must urgently adapt its buildings and infrastructure to a changing climate, including by setting legal maximum workplace temperatures and installing widespread cooling systems, according to a major new report from the government’s independent climate advisers. The Climate Change Committee warned that intensifying heatwaves now represent the single greatest climate threat to the country, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius expected to become routine in British summers within the next 35 years.

In its report, the committee stated the UK is built for a climate that no longer exists. It projects that without significant adaptation, up to 92 percent of existing homes will be at risk of overheating by 2050. The advisers called for cooling systems to be installed in all hospitals and care homes within the next decade and in all schools by mid-century. They also recommended the government set legal maximum temperatures for workplaces, both indoors and outdoors, to protect workers and incentivize the deployment of cooling technologies.

The committee identified extreme heat as the most deadly climate risk, noting that heat-related illnesses already cause...