Climate change event in London cancelled due to extreme heat

A climate change event in London dedicated to examining the dangers of extreme heat was cancelled due to extreme heat.

The gathering was part of Climate Action Week and was titled "Extreme Heat: Improving governance and strengthening action around the world".

It was scheduled for Wednesday at the Shaw Library at the London School of Economics.

Organisers from the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment were forced to abandon their plans after the Met Office issued a red weather warning covering Greater London.

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The rare alert spans from 9am Wednesday through 9pm Friday, affecting a broad swathe of territory from the capital to Birmingham, Swansea and Somerset.

The Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance explained the decision in a social media post on Tuesday.

They noted that the Shaw Library shares a common problem with the majority of London's buildings.

The organisation wrote: "The event venue, like most buildings in London, does not have any cooling mechanisms in place, and we cannot risk the well-being of speakers or guests by subjecting everyone to very unpleasant indoor conditions in addition to hot journeys to the venue."

The alliance offered apologies to those who had intended to participate and urged Londoners to remain safe during the dangerous conditions.

According to the Met Office, this week's record-shattering heatwave could push temperatures to 38C to 40C across parts of England and Wales, with readings set to surpass 37C even in shaded areas.

The forecaster described the intensity of these conditions as exceptionally rare for Britain to date.

Compounding the discomfort, high humidity is expected to persist throughout the period, with overnight temperatures remaining warm and muggy - making it difficult for people to cool down and recover during sleep.

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An amber heat alert was already active on Tuesday across multiple regions, including the East Midlands, East of England, London, the South East, South West, Wales and West Midlands.

The Zurich Climate Alliance wrote: "The magnitude of future impacts from extreme heat will largely depend on global mitigation efforts, local heat governance, and response plans.

"Cities like London have unique potential to adapt to changing heat risks through effective risk management at multiple levels, connecting policies and incentives, and strengthening community adaptation capacity."

Chris Anderson, a climate risk and resilience expert at Practical Action, told The Independent: "While early warning saves lives and reduces the potential losses of extreme weather events, the heat this week seen in Europe and the UK highlights the need to move faster to adapt to our changing climate and build resilience to the increasing impacts of weather-related hazards."

He added: "While this may seem ironic in a wealthy city such as London, at least people in Britain were afforded good warnings in hopefully enough time to prepare.

"The event was due to share learning and real-life testimony on extreme heat governance progress and challenges from countries and communities facing extreme heat on an increasingly regular basis."

A Practical Action spokesman added: "If the UK is struggling to cope, then it's really important we take climate change seriously and learn from what is happening around the world."

The UK Health Security Agency has cautioned that the extreme temperatures will likely cause a rise in fatalities, particularly among those over 65 or with underlying health conditions.

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