As western Europe bakes under what scientists describe as a heat dome, or “atmospheric lid”, reports of dozens of drownings, and heat-linked deaths of children and elderly people in France, are a stark reminder of the threat to life from extreme heat – and the fact that some people face higher risks than others. The red alert covering most of southern England and Wales for Wednesday and Thursday is only the second such warning to be issued.

With the UK’s June record of 35.6C expected to be broken, hundreds of schools are closed. Network Rail has advised against non-essential travel. Temperatures in France and Spain are expected to be even higher, before the heat moves eastwards. But since the UK is less used to intense heat than its Mediterranean neighbours, it faces distinct challenges.

Like emissions cuts, adaptation to the climate crisis is a global issue. Some of the poorest countries in the world, which bear least responsibility for greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, confront the gravest threats from excessive heat – and the wildfires and droughts it causes – and also storms, floods and rising sea levels. Their governments went home from last year’s Cop30 negotiations justifiably angry about the lack of urgency around funding to help them. This must change.

Around the world, community resilience rests on voluntary links such as people checking on relatives and neighbours. Last month’s report on adaptation from the UK’s Climate Change Committee acknowledged this. But its strongest message was rightly directed at ministers. Adaptation plans in all four nations of the UK lag behind where they need to be, the experts warned, to avoid the most damaging effects of an expected 2C global temperature rise by 2050, and a possible 3-4C rise by the end of the century.

The report was described by its authors as rooted in “hope, not fear”. For the first time, the committee included recommendations as a signal of the need to move beyond intentions to actions – and the escalating risks to lives and livelihoods if preparations are not stepped up. Rightly, it proposed that air conditioning in care homes, hospitals and schools should be prioritised, in recognition of the vulnerability of old, ill and disabled people and the importance of education. Combining air conditioning with solar panels helps to maximise energy efficiency and avoid cooling measures adding to carbon emissions.

The committee stressed that all new infrastructure must be built to withstand 3-4C of warming – even though the UK remains committed, under the Paris agreement, to avoiding this increase. They called for changes to the food system, improved management of flood risks and the water supply, and nature restoration including tree-planting in cities, where temperatures are often highest.

After a muted initial response from ministers, the hope must be that this week’s heat will focus minds – including Andy Burnham’s. The UK’s next national adaptation plan is due in two years. As he sets out his ideas, along with any other candidates to replace Sir Keir Starmer, he must decide whether to accept the committee’s proposal for around £11bn in annual spending – split between the public and private sectors – and if not, why not. With next year expected to be the hottest ever, due in part to the cyclical El Niño weather system, a strong adaptation plan – to run in parallel with the green transition – cannot wait.

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