Drought, heatwaves and wildfires will 'get worse' without net zero, warns climate adviser
As the UK battles with the growing spectre of worsening drought, heatwaves and wildfires, a key climate adviser has warned it “gets worse from here” until greenhouse gas emissions behind global warming are cut to net zero, PA reports.
Julia King, the chair of the adaptation subcommittee of the Climate Change Committee, told the news agency “we need to remember that this is as good as it gets”.
“It gets worse from here. Until we get to net zero, things go on getting worse,” she warned, as she also urged the government to take steps to help the UK adapt to rising temperatures, such as air conditioning in hospitals, schools and for vulnerable families.
Here are some of the latest images on the newswires as parts of the UK face the fifth heatwave of the summer:
Expert warns of 'climate leaveism' caused by school closures during extreme heat
We have more comments in response to the report that heatwaves have cost the UK economy £4.4bn (which you can read here).
University of Manchester professor Sir Cary Cooper, widely regarded as one of the world’s leading authorities on workplace organisation, health and wellbeing, has warned that school closures are creating a largely unrecorded impact on employers and workers – a phenomenon he has described as “climate leaveism”.
He said:
The estimated £4.4bn hit is a stark reminder that extreme heat is now a workplace and economic crisis. However, even this figure may not reveal the full disruption. When overheated schools close, working parents are forced to take leave, lose working hours or catch up late into the evening.
This ‘climate leaveism’ may not be reflected on the absence spreadsheet but it certainly impacts the employee. Businesses must prepare for extreme weather as an ongoing workforce risk, with clear dependent-care policies and managers empowered to respond flexibly. Otherwise, the hidden costs will continue to be paid through exhaustion, stress and lost productivity.”
Just 20 of 6,600 Defra staff working on climate adaptation amid drought and wildfires
The Guardian’s environment correspondent Sandra Laville has this exclusive report on the government’s lack of resources to prepare for the impacts of climate change, revealing that just 20 of 6,600 Defra staff are working on climate adaptation.
That means just 0.3% of staff within the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are tasked with protecting the environment and maintaining food security.
“England is desperately unprepared for the impacts of the climate crisis, and these shocking figures show how few officials are working on the problem at the top of government,” said environmental writer and campaigner Guy Shrubsole, who obtained the data through a freedom of information request.
Read more:
Climate scientist Dr Clair Barnes has a useful reminder of the root cause of the UK’s blazing and bone dry summer.
The science linking this summer’s heatwaves to climate change is crystal clear - fossil fuels have made every single one hotter and more likely.
Our findings this summer show that climate change is causing heatwaves to reach dangerously hot temperatures that would have been inconceivable in a preindustrial climate and directly driving up heat-related deaths.
We also found that the current drought isn’t only the result of the lack of rainfall but has been made much more severe by these prolonged high temperatures. Hotter air can hold more moisture and so the extra heat we’ve seen has been making the atmosphere thirstier, sucking water from the ground.”
Barnes is at Imperial College London and the World Weather Attribution consortium.
UK weather forecast today
Here’s today’s latest Met Office forecast for UK cities:
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Aberdeen 22C
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Belfast 24C
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Birmingham 32C
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Cardiff 33C
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Glasgow 25C
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Liverpool 32C
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London 32C
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Newcastle 29C
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Plymouth 31C
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Sheffield 31C
Spotted this picture on the newswires that feels truly apocalyptic:
The Green party leader, Zack Polanski, has commented on analysis estimating that this summer’s heatwaves have cost the UK economy £4.4bn so far this year (you can read that report here).
In a statement issued before the government announced an emergency Cobra meeting, Polanski said:
This summer’s extreme heat is striking at the heart of our economy, losing this country billions when we can ill afford it.
And yet prime minister Burnham is missing in action on this issue - we haven’t heard a word about how he plans to keep people safe or protect our economy from the shocks to come.
We need a Cobra meeting to set out an emergency response to the danger facing us now, and the damage coming fast down the tracks as heatwaves and flooding get more extreme.”
Burnham says he is considering ban on disposable BBQs
Disposable barbecues could be banned to help prevent fires, the prime minister has said.
Speaking to reporters on a visit to Stevenage, Andy Burnham said a ban was something the government was “certainly going to consider”.
As reported earlier, the prime minister will chair an emergency Cobra meeting in response to the extreme heat.
Burnham said:
There is obviously a significant problem of wildfires in the south. The New Forest fire is a great concern; we have seen them in northern areas, as well as Suffolk recently.
This is a message for the public as well because the wildfires I mentioned, many of them have been created by disposable barbecues.
I do believe we need to get the message out loud and clear. People should not be using those barbecues outside at this moment in time.
I don’t know yet what the remedy is, but I do want to leave the meeting today with a loud and clear message that we do want people to take the greatest possible care when they are out in the countryside, both in terms of cigarettes, but also those temporary barbecues that we know are causing risk of fires.”
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Updated
Firefighters continue to tackle wildfire in New Forest
Firefighters have worked through the night and are continuing to tackle the heathland fire in the New Forest in Hampshire, the local authority said.
The A31 that runs through the New Forest is closed in both directions, with road closures expected to remain in place for at least the next 48 hours while emergency services continue to respond to the fire.
The New Forest district council has issued health advice to those affected by smoke from the ongoing wildfire, telling people to avoid smoky areas, stay indoors with windows and doors closed and avoid strenuous outdoor activity while smoke is present. If driving through smoke, keep vehicle windows closed and use the air-conditioning’s recirculation setting, the council added.
In a statement, council leader Jill Cleary said:
My thanks and gratitude to everyone working tirelessly to respond to this ongoing incident and keep our communities safe, as well as minimising the impact on our unique environment and wildlife.
The emergency services are continuing to work hard on the ground, supported by council teams, Forestry England, the National Park Authority, National Highways, and many others.
This is a challenging situation, and the continued cooperation between all the organisations involved is hugely important.
I am also grateful to our staff working behind the scenes to support the response, and maintain essential council services, and I would also like to thank residents and those visiting the area for their patience and understanding while the response continues and we work to reduce any potential disruption to our services.”
My colleague Sandra Laville has this report from the New Forest:
Stay away from Dunwich Heath amid ongoing fire risk, National Trust warns
People have been urged to avoid Dunwich Heath in Suffolk as authorities assess wildfire damage and deal with an unexploded second world war bomb uncovered by the blaze.
The wildfire at the nature reserve has scorched more than 100 hectares (247 acres) of heathland since it took hold almost two weeks ago, the National Trust said. Suffolk’s 35 fire stations, alongside 18 other fire services from across the country, took part in the firefighting operation.
The conservation charity said coastal winds are stirring up ash and debris, rabbit burrows and warrens have retained significant heat and trees with burnt root systems are vulnerable to collapse. Parts of the landscape have been left unrecognisable, making it harder to navigate, and fires spread along cliffs putting their stability at risk and making the beach below unsafe.
The National Trust said it could take several weeks to fully assess the site, with some areas of the fire ground still inaccessible. The fire has exposed unexploded ordnance dating back to the second world war, with specialists warning there could be more still to find.
Russell Clement, general manager for the National Trust, said:
Right now… the best way people can help is by staying away from the reserve.
We know how important Dunwich Heath is to the local community and visitors alike, but we need to ensure it is safe before anyone returns.”
He continued:
With no rain forecast and continued hot weather, there remains the risk of further flare-ups in the days and weeks ahead, which will require the fire service back on site.
In the meantime, Dunwich village remains open and we’d encourage people to support the local businesses, which are such an important part of the community.”
My colleagues Patrick Barkham and Pippa Neill have more on the impact of the Dunwich Heath fire, which destroyed vital habitat for rare wildlife and badly affected the local community and tourism. You can read their report here:
Updated
UK heatwaves may have cost economy £4.4bn in lost output so far this year, analysis finds
Repeated debilitating heatwaves this summer are likely to have cost the UK economy more than £4bn in lost economic output by the end of July, new analysis shows.
Green thinktank Verdant had suggested June’s unseasonally hot weather had an economic cost of £2.36bn. Updating its assessment to include last month’s high temperatures, it finds a £4.4bn hit to output.
As temperatures soar once again this week, Verdant’s director, James Meadway, said: “The economic costs of climate change are already with us, and set to worsen in future years. Action by the government to protect workers and businesses from the severe effects of extreme heat is well overdue.”
Direct economic costs arise because workers across many industries become less productive in heatwaves, while infrastructure and equipment overheats and has to be shut down.
Verdant is calling for the government to implement a maximum working temperature; and be ready to step in to compensate workers when they are forced to cut their hours because of extreme heat.
Read more:
The Guardian’s environment editor Damian Carrington has put together this explainer on why Europe is warming about twice as fast as the global average, with shifting weather patterns, Arctic warming, declining snow cover and reduced air pollution all contributing alongside greenhouse gas emissions:
Lib Dems and Greens welcome Cobra meeting but call for more urgent action
We have some comments from the Liberal Democrats and Green party on the Cobra emergency meeting scheduled for later today.
While welcoming the government’s announcement, the Lib Dem environment spokesperson Pippa Heylings said emergency meetings were not enough to put out fires or protect our communities, saying “we urgently need a national strategy to make the UK climate-ready”.
She added: “Extreme weather warnings, widespread water shortages and wildfires raging across our countryside are a stark reminder that the climate crisis is gripping the country, yet the government is moving at a snail’s pace, waiting until the fifth heatwave this summer to act.”
Similarly, Green party leader Zack Polanski said the Cobra meeting was “only a first step”, adding: “This is a climate emergency which is leading to hundreds of deaths and stretching our firefighters, health staff and farmers to the limit. What we urgently need is concrete action.
“That must include taxing fossil fuel giants to pay for firefighting helicopters, a cool space in every community, and a maximum working temperature.
“The prime minister must also commit to no new oil and gas extraction in the North Sea. We cannot negotiate with the science.”
Parts of UK brace for another heatwave as government convenes emergency Cobra meeting
Parts of the UK will face the fifth heatwave of the summer this week with temperatures forecast to reach highs of 38C, prompting the Met Office to issue an amber weather warning for extreme heat.
The record-shattering heatwave has caused wildfires and drought in many parts of the country, with this summer on course to be the UK’s hottest since records began, according to the Met Office. The National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) said firefighters have responded to 966 wildfires across England and Wales this year, including 185 in the first 10 days of August alone. The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) general secretary, Steve Wright, told Times Radio the country faces a national emergency “right now”, with wildfires seen “all across” the UK.
Nearly three-quarters of England and the whole of Wales are in drought, creating tinderbox conditions that have fuelled the rapid spread of wildfires. Southern Water has applied for a rare drought order that would restrict businesses in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight from using water for non-essential activities, including cleaning cars and filling swimming pools, citing exceptionally low rainfall and concerns over supplies. If approved, it would be the first such ban since May 2006, with the decision resting with the environment secretary, Angela Eagle.
The extreme heat has prompted the government to convene an emergency Cobra meeting – the second this year in response to a heatwave. You can read more on that here:
“We know how challenging this summer is proving, particularly for firefighters tackling wildfires, farmers working in drought conditions, and NHS staff in busy A&E units,” a Downing Street spokesperson said ahead of the meeting this afternoon, which will be chaired by the prime minister, Andy Burnham.
“We will continue to take the action needed to keep communities safe, protect water supplies, support farming communities and safeguard the environment.”
Temperatures could reach 33C today and up to 38C tomorrow, the Met Office said, as it issued an amber heat warning for large parts of England, covering areas including London, St Albans, Cambridge, Oxford, Milton Keynes, Peterborough, Leicester, Birmingham, Nottingham, Lincoln and Sheffield. It will be in place from 9am tomorrow to midnight.
The Met Office warned that the ‘“extreme heat” warning will likely cause “adverse” health effects to people vulnerable to extreme heat, adding that there could be delays to travel and that some “heat sensitive systems and equipment may fail”, leading to potential power cuts at some homes and businesses.
“While the peak heat will be more short-lived than recent heatwaves, temperatures widely into the mid-30s Celsius on Thursday brings the potential for impacts for some, which is why a Met Office warning has been issued,” said chief forecaster Chris Bulmer.
Earlier, the Met Office said another record-breaking summer was increasingly likely, after the UK recorded its second-warmest June and July on record, with temperatures reaching 38C in June and 35C in July. It said the repeated heatwaves were a stark reminder of the changes taking place in the UK’s climate.
As my colleague Damian Carrington wrote yesterday, the climate crisis, caused by the pollution from fossil fuel burning, makes every heatwave more likely and intense. The heatwave at the end of June was the most severe ever recorded in Europe and would not have been possible without human-caused global heating.
