People in the UK could be forced to spend more time at home to shelter from intense heat due to climate change, which could in turn impact the economy, a wide-ranging government assessment has revealed.
Extreme weather such as heatwaves and flooding as a result of the warming planet could also lead to food shortages due to failures in the global agriculture supply chain and the death of cattle and other livestock.
The stark warnings – which are described as “short-term trajectories” – are made as a fresh heatwave is set to raise temperatures to 33C in parts of the UK this weekend.
The UK government has for the first time made public its Chronic Risks Analysis, which is a 132-page detailed assessment of persistent threats facing the country, from artificial intelligence (AI) to terrorism.
Listing “short-term trajectories” – that could happen within the next two to five years – due to climate change, the analysis says: “People may increasingly need to remain at home to stay safe from extreme weather, which could have wider implications for the economy.
