Global Warming Threatens Britain

In England, the heat waves are making more people severely ill than in the 1980s. Researchers from Surrey’s Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE) are now calling on policymakers and fellow scientists to not forget the countryside when formulating solutions to combat the damaging effects of climate change.

Professor Prashant Kumar, Director of GCARE, said:

“We already knew that the urban heat island effect exacerbates the city's problem, but now we also have proof that people living in less built-up areas are threatened.”

The research examined mortality and maximum daily temperatures across 38 years – from 1981 and 2018 – in Southeast England and Aberdeenshire. v

Heat Waves Break Records in Britain

The GCARE team found that people living in the Southeast of England are now 7% more likely to die prematurely when the temperature rises significantly (about 6 degrees Centigrade) above 26.5 degrees Centigrade.

In Aberdeenshire, the risk of dying prematurely increases by 4%, compared to the Southeast of England, when the temperature increases by just two degrees from 24.5 degrees C to 26.7 degrees C.

Professor Kumar continued: “The problem of rising temperatures is pronounced in southern England, but it’s probably only a matter of time before northern areas experience the same. More needs to be done to prepare for hot weather, and leaders in government – whether national, devolved or local – need to update their heat action plans and identify how to protect vulnerable people during heatwaves.”

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Source-Eurekalert