Extreme heat is one of the most dangerous climate change risks in the United Kingdom, according to a new government-backed report that warned the nation is “built for a climate that no longer exists.”
Right after it came out, the U.K. recorded its hottest day on record for the month of May.
The temperature at Kew Gardens in London on Monday hit nearly 95 degrees Fahrenheit, more than 30 degrees higher than average for this time of year. Tuesday broke the record once again, with the temperature inching up a bit more to 95.2 degrees.
Other countries, including France and Spain, are seeing similar highs amid an unusually early heat wave in Western Europe. Experts say extreme heat events are becoming more common as the continent heats up roughly twice as fast as the global average.
This extreme heat has wreaked havoc across the region and was linked to several deaths in France, authorities say. It’s also illustrating many of the problems the recent report flagged with the U.K.’s ability to adapt to climate change as water systems are pushed to the brink and outdated infrastructure fails to protect the public from the hottest temperatures, experts say.
