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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Damian Carrington Environment editor

Leaked UK government plan to protect against climate heat ‘very weak’

Firefighters contain a wildfire encroaching on nearby homes in Sheffield on 20 July 2022
Firefighters contain a wildfire encroaching on nearby homes in Sheffield in July 2022 as the UK experienced a record-breaking heatwave. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

The government’s plan to cope with the climate crisis has been condemned as “very weak” by experts, who say not enough is being done to protect lives and livelihoods.

Responding to the document, which was leaked to the Guardian, one highlighted its failure to adequately protect people in the UK from extreme heat. The heatwave in 2022, when temperatures surpassed 40C for the first time, led to the early deaths of more than 3,000 people, wildfires, buckled rail lines and farmers struggling with drought. Southern Europe is in the grip of a searing heatwave.

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