This extreme heat is just the beginning. We should be scared – and channel this emotion into action, says academic Bill McGuire
But the speed of climate breakdown is such that this future is already upon us. On Monday, the Met Office’s first ever red extreme heat warning comes into force for much of England, as ferocious 40C-plus temperatures threaten to overwhelm ambulance services and A&E departments, and potentially bring about thousands of deaths.
The brutal truth is that dodging dangerous, all-pervasive, climate breakdown is now practically impossible. Even if all the promises and pledges made at Cop26 were kept,, and if tipping points are crossed and feedbacks kick in, the figure could be much higher. So, hothouse Britain is a reality, and the sooner we face this fact, the better. And be very clear, this isn’t alarmist. It isn’t what deniers are fond of calling “climate porn”. This is simply how things are.
Health and wellbeing services will buckle, as tens of thousands of the most vulnerable people struggle in the growing heat and humidity, cases of poisoning due to heat-related food and water contamination burgeon, and new diseases suited to the hotter conditions – includingand dengue fever – gain a foothold. An explosion in mental health problems is also foreseen as living conditions become ever more desperate for many, and the strain on individuals and families takes its toll.
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