What the UK Heatwave Means for the Rest of Us
Two weeks ago, on July 15, when the heat wave hit England, the internet exploded. There was no shortage of quips and jeers at Britain's expense, much of it towards their sensitivity to what many considered hardly hot. Jokes became commonplace, and few thought twice about what the heat waves meant. Yet, perhaps these jokes have desensitized the real nature of these heat waves because beyond the internet is a grim but accurate reflection of our failure to deal with climate change.
The highest recorded temperature of 40.3 degrees Celsius hit the UK on July 19. To put that into context, the average UK summer temperature ranges from 16 Celsius, meaning the heatwave’s peak had over a 40 degree Celsius difference from the mean. Some argue that this heat is only so high because it is part of a heat wave. Temperatures in abnormal circumstances like these should be, more or less, abnormal. However, such temperatures are high even for heat wave standards. For example, the infamous U.K heatwave of 1976 caused droughts that devastated the economy, killing around 3676 people within the 16-day window of the event. Yet, its peak was only 35.9 degrees Celsius.
These unprecedented temperatures have had and will continue to dramatically affect Britain’s infrastructure and health. Unlike most first-world countries, Britain is surprisingly underprepared for heat waves, or any massive temperature fluctuations for that matter. While it may be understandable given the rarity of such events, the consequences are dire nonetheless. A clear problem is the lack of modern temperature controls in homes. Only 5% of UK homes have air conditioning, compared to South Korea’s 67.8 percent or America’s 87 percent. This is likely because UK temperatures are colder than naught, leading to most homes being designed for warmth. Not to mention, UK civilians are used to the much lower temperatures, meaning they are significantly more vulnerable to heat rashes, heat strokes, and other health complications.
However, perhaps the most alarming is either the absence or the appalling quality of air conditioning in hospitals. With the surge of heat-related complications, hospitals have been working overtime to treat their patients. As a result, air conditioning failures have become more common, creating a cycle of more and more health issues. For instance, two of the largest hospitals in London, Guy’s and St. Thompsons, had to stop operations because their computer hardware systems broke down in the high temperatures. The Wales children's hospital also stopped operations due to air conditioning breakdowns, creating unbearably hot temperatures for ill children. The situation is dire, to say the least.
Then how responsible is climate change for this heat wave, and what does it exactly mean for the rest of us? According to experts at the World Weather Attribution, climate change has made the UK heat waves at least ten times more likely. Such an event would have been nearly impossible in a 1.2 Celsius cooler world. Had the heatwave occurred in the preindustrial times, experts estimate that the temperatures would be 4 Celsius cooler. Even back in 2019, the Australian bushfire crisis was made 30% more probable by climate change, according to experts. These findings only align with the trend of massive temperature fluctuations, with these events becoming more traceable to climate change. Consequently, heat waves have become increasingly more common. There is now an average of six heat waves per year in the U.S, a drastic increase from the average of two in the 1960s. If trends like these persist, it is not beyond speculation to expect a heatwave of our own in South Korea in the near future.
And while the UK is partly to blame for its incompetence in dealing with the heat on its side of the planet, the entire world shares a part of the blame. If we continue to destroy our planet, these freak nature episodes will only become more common. Let this heatwave serve as a wake-up call to the rest of us. We must all strive to become more careful with our environment because if we are not careful, there may not be one at all.