Sir, – While a spell of warm and sunny weather is welcome after a grey and wet winter, it should also serve as a stark warning of what is already happening to our shared planet and what lies ahead.We are rapidly approaching 2°C of global warming. The Paris Agreement target of limiting warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels appears increasingly unattainable given the current pace of action.This trajectory will negatively impact all life on Earth in myriad ways, but it will also guarantee more severe, longer-lasting and frequent heatwaves.Recent estimates from the UK suggest over 90 per cent of all homes in the country will be at risk of overheating by 2050. Crucially, low-income households, people from minority ethnic backgrounds, social renters and older people and children face the highest risk from dangerously hot living conditions. Heat kills.While I am not aware of equivalent statistics for Ireland, our housing stock is comparable to that of the UK, suggesting we face similar vulnerabilities. Irish homes are not built for a 2°C global warming world.To this, there is no single solution. We must double down on climate action and mitigation, but also increase our efforts on climate adaptation: air conditioning in all hospitals, care homes and schools; community cool spaces; greener cities and urban spaces, to name but a few actions. In essence, we need cooling rolled out at scale. – Yours, etc, OLA LØKKEN NORDRUM,South Lotts Rd, Dublin 4.Sir, – It seems to me a significant factor in Leinster’s disappointing defeat in Bilbao was the insufferable heat. Expecting rugby players, especially from Ireland, to deliver a Herculean athletic performance when the temperature surpasses 27 degrees is just folly. Rugby collided with climate change – but it is not the only sport to do so. This January, golf was cancelled in Ireland due to historic levels of rain. In cycling, stages of the Tour de France are now regularly curtailed due to heatwaves. Tennis players increasingly protest at the oppressive heat. Danish player Holger Rune recently complained to officials “Do you want a player to die on court?” All of this is occurring as the Earth is about 1.4 degrees warmer than pre-industrial levels. It is on track to double that increase. At that stage, I fear not just for Leinster Rugby but for all of us. – Yours, etc,GERARD MOORE,Sandymount,Dublin 4.