London's 2022 heatwaves cost the capital an estimated £1.5 billion, according to new analysis from City Hall, as the Mayor unveils the city's first-ever heat resilience plan. The findings reveal the scale of the challenge ahead, with around one million London homes at risk of overheating, alongside 1,361 schools, 60 hospitals and 351 care homes in areas most vulnerable to extreme heat.
Mayor Warns of 'Biblical' Weather
“Rising temperatures are no longer a future threat, they are becoming a growing reality for Londoners,” London Mayor Sadiq Khan said on Thursday. “It is affecting our communities, from homes and high streets to schools, hospitals and care services.” It comes as London is in the midst of another heatwave, with the mercury reaching a scorching 35.1C in the capital on Wednesday. It was the UK's hottest recorded June day, with 36.1C recorded in Gosport, Hampshire. A rare red weather warning has been extended by the Met Office until midnight today, with disruption affecting businesses, public transport, offices and schools.
Heat Ready London Strategy Launched
Now, City Hall has launched Heat Ready London, a city-wide strategy designed to help the capital adapt and better prepare for future heatwaves. Khan said the city is experiencing weather of “biblical proportions” including tropical nights, thunderstorms, extreme heat and flash flooding, and that London has been slow to adapt. Scientists warn that climate change has led to more frequent and intense heatwaves in recent years, with Met Office projections indicating hot spells will become more frequent in the future, particularly in the south of the UK.
Economic and Health Impacts
Officials warn the pressure on health services, transport, education and emergency services is set to drastically increase, with climate projections suggesting London could face two to three times more heatwaves in the next 20 years. The changing climate is projected to take a toll on the economy, reducing London’s GDP by up to 3 per cent in the 2050s. Khan said the challenge is too big for any one organisation to tackle alone and called on partners across the city to work together to protect lives and make London more resilient to extreme weather.
Measures to Cool the Capital
The mayor’s heat plan sets out a range of measures to help London cope with rising temperatures. It will expand access to cooling spaces and public drinking water, and target upgrades to high-risk homes to reduce overheating. The strategy also focuses on increasing tree cover and green spaces, while improving access to rivers and other “blue spaces” for cooling. It will also strengthen health services and make key infrastructure like transport more resilient during extreme heat.
Transport for London's Response
Lilli Matson, Chief Safety, Health and Environment Officer at TfL said: “The ongoing heatwave has underlined the importance of preparing for such conditions and their real-world impact on customers, staff and the transport network. We are working with other agencies, including Network Rail, the Greater London Authority and others to develop a coordinated approach and manage the adverse impact of higher temperatures on our network, from track and road surface resilience to customer comfort and staff safety. We are taking action to strengthen our resilience, including investing in cooling and ventilation, and adapting our infrastructure and operational responses.”
Delays in Air-Conditioned Trains
It comes as the mayor was urged on Wednesday to sort out delays in new rolling stock with air con on the Piccadilly line. The first of 94 new Piccadilly trains had originally been expected to enter service late last year and to bring in air con for the first time on a deep Tube line. But this was first put back into the second half of this year and is now expected to happen between December and June next year. The rollout of 54 new trains with air conditioning started on the DLR last autumn but was halted after one of them stopped past its intended stopping point. The delays to the two new rolling stock programmes mean that there have been no new trains with air con introduced on the Underground for nine years. Currently, there are 192 air-conditioned Tube trains, out of 620, covering 40 per cent of the network. TfL says the delay to the new Piccadilly trains was due to "the complexity of introducing entirely new trains onto ageing infrastructure", with some parts of the line some 120 years old.
