A London event on tackling extreme heat has ironically been cancelled because of extreme heat, organisers confirmed.
The meeting, due to take place at the Shaw Library at the London School of Economics on Wednesday as part of Climate Action Week, was called off after the Met Office issued a Red Extreme Heat Warning for London and parts of England.
Temperatures of up to 35C are forecast in the capital tomorrow, with officials warning of significant disruption to daily life.
Londoners have been urged to adapt their daily routines to cope with the scorching conditions.
The event, titled Extreme Heat: Improving Governance and Strengthening Action Around the World, was organised by the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.
In a social media post on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance said: “The event venue, like most buildings in London, does not have any cooling mechanisms in place, and we cannot risk the wellbeing of speakers or guests by subjecting everyone to very unpleasant indoor conditions in addition to hot journeys to the venue.”
“Our apologies to everyone who was planning to attend the event. Thank you for your understanding - and if you are in London, please stay safe.”
A COBR meeting was held on Tuesday morning in response to the heatwave currently engulfing the UK, the Government said, as ministers continue to monitor the situation.
“The magnitude of future impacts from extreme heat will largely depend on global mitigation efforts, local heat governance, and response plans,” wrote the Zurich Climate Alliance.
“Cities like London have unique potential to adapt to changing heat risks through effective risk management at multiple levels, connecting policies and incentives, and strengthening community adaptation capacity.”
Emma Pinchbeck, chief executive of the Climate Change Committee, said the UK needed to carry on reducing emissions that are driving global warming, but warned that the country also needed to adapt to the kind of “weird heat” forecast for this week.
The committee has recommended cuts of 87% in UK’s greenhouse gas pollution by 2040 on 1990 levels – a proposal the Government has accepted and will be debated by Parliament on Wednesday.
The UK has halved emissions since 1990.
“It’s important that we carry on doing that, because effectively it prevents a world we can’t adapt to,” she said.
But she warned: “Even with action to reduce emissions, this weird heat, these unusual weather events are the world as we will know it. This is going to be much more typical in the UK, even under 2C of warming.
“To make sure we’re protected from that, we need to roll out cooling particularly in places where there are vulnerable people, care homes and hospitals.
“We need regulations to protect workers, particularly those working outdoors in things like construction, and we need to make sure our infrastructure is fit for purpose, so things like our trains continue to run mostly on time,” she said.
On both reducing emissions and adapting the UK to climate change, she said: “This is doable. We just need to do it.”
