London’s risk from rising temperatures

Open

1026 Londoners have responded

A very hazy view of London's skyline, featuring the Gherkin and the Walkie Talkie

Discussions

Discussion | Coping with hot weather in London

User Image for
Added by Talk London

The summer of 2022 saw temperatures above 40°C, the highest ever recorded in England. Climate change could bring hotter, drier summers in London, with longer, more intense heatwaves.

City Hall’s Climate Adaptation team wants to hear your experience to help inform London’s first Heat Risk Delivery Plan. 

Join the conversation 

 Thinking back to the heatwave of 2022: 

  • How did you cope with the heat in London?  
  • What helped you stay cool at home or while you were out and about? 
  • What made it better, and what made it worse?  

Thinking of this summer:  

  • What, if anything, are you doing differently to cope with the heat in London? 
  • What, if anything, does London need to help you cope with the heat? 

Please share as much detail as you can. Eleanor and Annette from City Hall’s Climate Adaptation team will be reading your comments and joining in.  

About the action plan

The London Heat Risk Delivery Plan will set out the roles and responsibilities our city needs to manage heat risk. The recommendation for this action plan came out of last year’s London Climate Resilience Review.  

Between March and September 2025, Londoners and stakeholders are invited to help inform the action plan. Read more on our background page.

 

Open


Want to add a comment?

New here? Join Talk London, City Hall's online community where you can have your say on London's biggest issues.

Join Talk London

Already have an account?

Log into your account
Comments (274)

Avatar for - Rhino

People who sit with their car engines running to use the air con need to stop doing this !

Avatar for -

I'm concerned that if more people install air conditioning it will further heat up the local area meaning others suffer. We need practical guidance and easy to use products for shading windows and other smaller actions which can make a big...

Show full comment

I'm concerned that if more people install air conditioning it will further heat up the local area meaning others suffer. We need practical guidance and easy to use products for shading windows and other smaller actions which can make a big difference. 

Show less of comment

Avatar for - Orangutan

And if planning regulations insisted on green build only?      

Show full comment

And if planning regulations insisted on green build only?      

Show less of comment

Avatar for - Staghorn coral

Agree. On one hand GLA want unconditional access to build on Green Belt, another department runs this initiative?  Another survey is not needed. There are plenty of existing environmental groups that can advise, there are plenty of...

Show full comment

Agree. On one hand GLA want unconditional access to build on Green Belt, another department runs this initiative?  Another survey is not needed. There are plenty of existing environmental groups that can advise, there are plenty of solutions but politicians get in the way. 

Show less of comment

Avatar for - Sumatran elephant

I'm avoiding the Central Line where possible, it's bad enough during cool summers, yet it seems we're always being asked to do this while the management of London and TfL do nothing except advise us to carry water on our journeys.

Avatar for - Colombian spotted frog

My biggest problem is that they constantly play messages on the tube saying to carry water in hot weather, and yet barely any tube stations have anywhere to refill a water bottle? Imagine having access to water fountains or even drink...

Show full comment

My biggest problem is that they constantly play messages on the tube saying to carry water in hot weather, and yet barely any tube stations have anywhere to refill a water bottle? Imagine having access to water fountains or even drink vending machines at the platforms!

Show less of comment

Avatar for -

I find temperatures above 30 hard to cope with as I have long term health conditions. My home office becomes unusable as it gets too hot and I can't exercise. The Northern Line is dangerously hot so travel is difficult. Understandably...

Show full comment

I find temperatures above 30 hard to cope with as I have long term health conditions. My home office becomes unusable as it gets too hot and I can't exercise. The Northern Line is dangerously hot so travel is difficult. Understandably people use the parks more but aren't necessarily educated to look after them - in hot weather there is litter everywhere and people are using places that are meant to be set aside for wildlife as there aren't sufficient areas for swimming etc to help people cope with the heat. On Hampstead Heath they've removed the water fountains and there are very few bins which doesn't help. Summer now makes me quite anxious rather than being an enjoyable experience.

Show less of comment

Avatar for -

I am in the same situation - long term health condition means my body can’t cool itself. Flat has floor to ceiling south facing windows only, so no through breeze possible. I do everything suggested to keep heat out but temperatures climb...

Show full comment

I am in the same situation - long term health condition means my body can’t cool itself. Flat has floor to ceiling south facing windows only, so no through breeze possible. I do everything suggested to keep heat out but temperatures climb into mid 30s after a couple of days. Tower Hamlets keeps cutting down mature trees and approving the construction of 50 storey blocks in E14, worsening the heat island effect. My home office is unusable (tiny box room) but I can’t use public transport in extreme heat. Was taken ill on Jubilee line after one stop at the weekend. We need huge cooled community spaces people can go to for sleep in hot weather eg Excel centre, as in Canada when heat domes hit. Excess deaths will keep rising otherwise. I dread the summer.

Show less of comment

Avatar for - Koala

Our primary schools are woefully underprepared for extreme weather. Adults get to sit in air conditioned offices, our children get to sit in boiling hot rooms with a single fan and a few windows cracked at best. What’s the point of...

Show full comment

Our primary schools are woefully underprepared for extreme weather. Adults get to sit in air conditioned offices, our children get to sit in boiling hot rooms with a single fan and a few windows cracked at best. What’s the point of “relaxing the uniform rules” when it’s the environment that’s not fit for purpose? Lack of air conditioning and HEPA filters are essential to keep kids  healthy. The 40 degree heat in 2022 was forecast for at least a week in advance and our school did nothing until the night before when it allowed those that could, to take their kids home at lunchtime.  Without suitable climate controls, schools will have to close during extreme heatwaves. Where’s the preparation? Where is the plan to retrofit our Victorian buildings with the necessary upgrades for a warming climate? All I see is people with their heads in the sand. 

Show less of comment

Avatar for -

Very difficult to keep cool in the extreme heat in spite of all measures being taken to keep cool in London area. 1930's chalet type houses retain the heat. Many front gardens have been paved over and trees removed to enable parking where...

Show full comment

Very difficult to keep cool in the extreme heat in spite of all measures being taken to keep cool in London area. 1930's chalet type houses retain the heat. Many front gardens have been paved over and trees removed to enable parking where front gardens once were. This needs to be discouraged although understandable why dropped kerbs are requested.

More green space needed . TFL land in this area has been replaced with unattractive blocks of flats. Who wants to live on top of a traiin line. How can residents of these blocks keep cool? Must be so noisy with windows opened. Trees could have been planted to help stop pollution from nearby road and underground.

Show less of comment

Avatar for - Orangutan

I commute to the City of London twice a week.  I deliberately leave extra early in the mornings (I start at 9am  but I leave my house at 6.45 am) to avoid the heat, traffic jams, and overcrowding on the trains.  The No.5 bus and EL2 bus are...

Show full comment

I commute to the City of London twice a week.  I deliberately leave extra early in the mornings (I start at 9am  but I leave my house at 6.45 am) to avoid the heat, traffic jams, and overcrowding on the trains.  The No.5 bus and EL2 bus are an absolute joke - these are the new routemaster buses, but there is only air conditioning on the top deck - the lower deck just have one side of the lower desk with tiny windows at the top and there is no air that comes through these windows, so they are absolutely pointless and there is no air conditioning on the lower deck.  It must be about 10 degrees higher on the bus than it is outside.  I dread going on either of these buses, but these are the only buses that go on my route home.  I guess it was Boris Johnson who recommended these buses at the time, but they really are not fit for purpose.  I pity pensioners who have to use these buses to get their shopping.

Show less of comment

Avatar for - Colombian spotted frog

In my area over the last five years so much green space has been built on, many of these developments are unfinished or unsold but have the effect of reducing natural resources that help us cope with the heat. In private rented, furnished...

Show full comment

In my area over the last five years so much green space has been built on, many of these developments are unfinished or unsold but have the effect of reducing natural resources that help us cope with the heat. In private rented, furnished accommodation there is little we can do to our property that is effective to help cope with the heat so shady green space is invaluable

Show less of comment

Avatar for -

Mayor should fund air conditioning to every London household

Avatar for - Colombian spotted frog

Don’t be ridiculous. Who would pay for this massive expense?

Avatar for - Staghorn coral

This is not a good use of public funding. Air conditioning is expensive to run, it uses a lot of energy and is extremely damaging to the environment. We should be seeking ‘passive’ solutions to overheating, such as shading our homes with...

Show full comment

This is not a good use of public funding. Air conditioning is expensive to run, it uses a lot of energy and is extremely damaging to the environment. We should be seeking ‘passive’ solutions to overheating, such as shading our homes with planting, using simple outer screens on windows - similar to those used in car windscreens. I find this very effective.

Show less of comment

Avatar for -

I’m in a new build flat, with door-to-ceiling windows that act as a greenhouse in a sunny day, and we’re not allowed to install outside units that would allow us to have air conditioning. This is absolutely ridiculous.

London can’t cope with...

Show full comment

I’m in a new build flat, with door-to-ceiling windows that act as a greenhouse in a sunny day, and we’re not allowed to install outside units that would allow us to have air conditioning. This is absolutely ridiculous.

London can’t cope with climate change if preserving the aesthetic of a 10 year old building is more important than the comfort of its occupants.

Show less of comment

Avatar for -

I find the quality of air conditioning very good on buses, when passengers do not open the windows! Why do they do this? I come from a hot country where no one would dream of allowing the cool air to escape through open windows. The public...

Show full comment

I find the quality of air conditioning very good on buses, when passengers do not open the windows! Why do they do this? I come from a hot country where no one would dream of allowing the cool air to escape through open windows. The public need educating, perhaps via info stickers on bus windows. Get rid of the Covid ones. Other passengers look amazed & confused when I close the windows. So frustrating!

Also it should be against the law for shops to run air conditioning (or heating) with the front doors wide open. 

In places where we do have public air conditioning, why do we waste it?

 

Show less of comment

Avatar for - Sumatran elephant

Stay indoors between 11-4 if possible 

Drink plenty of fluids

Keep a wet towel or two in your fridge and wear it around your neck

 

We need more green spaces, and more trees, and people carrying for them.

Show full comment

Stay indoors between 11-4 if possible 

Drink plenty of fluids

Keep a wet towel or two in your fridge and wear it around your neck

 

We need more green spaces, and more trees, and people carrying for them.

Show less of comment

Avatar for - Colombian spotted frog

we would love to add external shutters, but living in a conservation area means that most of the sensible measures we would take to mitigate against changing weather - shutters, solar panels, white roof, improved drainage - are blocked by...

Show full comment

we would love to add external shutters, but living in a conservation area means that most of the sensible measures we would take to mitigate against changing weather - shutters, solar panels, white roof, improved drainage - are blocked by the local council planning department

Show less of comment

Avatar for -

I have improved my home environment by adding external shading to one side of the house. The other side is visible from a conservation area and condemned to overheat until the local council realises that the world changes and so do views...

Show full comment

I have improved my home environment by adding external shading to one side of the house. The other side is visible from a conservation area and condemned to overheat until the local council realises that the world changes and so do views from windows.

Show less of comment

Avatar for -

We need a city-wide (nation-wide?) programme to incentivize the planting/retaining of trees and green spaces in front gardens, and disincentives to concrete and pave, especially with non-porous hardstanding. I've lived in my current street...

Show full comment

We need a city-wide (nation-wide?) programme to incentivize the planting/retaining of trees and green spaces in front gardens, and disincentives to concrete and pave, especially with non-porous hardstanding. I've lived in my current street for 15 years and the trend continues apace for plants and trees to be replaced by concrete and paving. This makes the street hotter, reduces shade, worsens air quality and prevents water soaking into the ground, as well as generally making the place look and feel less attractive.

Show less of comment

Avatar for - Staghorn coral

All good points that you make, there.  In addition to what you wrote, having plants and trees in gardens assists in a small but meaningful way to reduce ambient noise pollution.

Show full comment

All good points that you make, there.  In addition to what you wrote, having plants and trees in gardens assists in a small but meaningful way to reduce ambient noise pollution.

Show less of comment

Avatar for -

We need permission from councils to have external shutters on windows, like all mediterranean countries have.

Avatar for -

I have Multiple Sclerosis and I suffer greatly in this heat. There is no respite and nowhere I can go to cool down unless I start to feel really, really bad and that would be me having to go to A&E which I am trying to avoid. I truly can't...

Show full comment

I have Multiple Sclerosis and I suffer greatly in this heat. There is no respite and nowhere I can go to cool down unless I start to feel really, really bad and that would be me having to go to A&E which I am trying to avoid. I truly can't understand why news and weather presenters keep saying in very gleeful voices how it is going to be hotter here than in the Bahamas or similar. As far as I am concerned this is a catastrophy and a very scary time for me. I live in a small council flat with no garden, no balcony and pretty bad windows = I don't even have windowsills. I'm trapped at home until the weather cools down. I also live on  avery polluted street - Red Route road - and it is pretty much unbearable at the moment. My husband has respiratory issues and the heat and pollution is very bad for himm too. Wish something would be done soonest, starting with getting rid of the outdated and useless Red Routes!

Show less of comment

Avatar for - Colombian spotted frog

MS is made so much worse by the heat. I really feel for you.

Avatar for - Vaquita

It is hot in London please help us.  

Show full comment

It is hot in London please help us.  

Show less of comment

Avatar for - Orangutan

The thing that didn't come up enough as an option in the questionnaire (just once) was around the importance of natural shade and mature trees especially - trees take time to grow and we could do with so many more around during hot weather...

Show full comment

The thing that didn't come up enough as an option in the questionnaire (just once) was around the importance of natural shade and mature trees especially - trees take time to grow and we could do with so many more around during hot weather, especially lining our streets where we walk to keep cooler. Its crazy we have so many private vehicles parked, taking up space, when we could shift people to car-sharing instead (if done effectively would not result in people not being able to drive) and free up kerbside space for more trees - but we need to do this quickly for it to be effective as summers get hotter.

Show less of comment

Avatar for -

I agree on the importance of mature trees and was surprised that the maintenance and encouragement of young, newly-planted trees did not feature in the survey. I have some concerns that local authorities persist in planting large saplings...

Show full comment

I agree on the importance of mature trees and was surprised that the maintenance and encouragement of young, newly-planted trees did not feature in the survey. I have some concerns that local authorities persist in planting large saplings at inappropriate times of the year and then do not have the resources to look after them during dry periods. 

Show less of comment

Avatar for - Saola

I agree about street trees being effective in shading and keeping things cooler. Cycling round London over the last few days I have felt directly the cooling effect in shaded areas. 

Show full comment

I agree about street trees being effective in shading and keeping things cooler. Cycling round London over the last few days I have felt directly the cooling effect in shaded areas. 

Show less of comment

Load more
Avatar for - Adelie penguin

The mayor and councils have pollarded and cut down so many trees it’s useless to say authorities would help.They introduce electric buses which the passengers swelter in cos both the engine and batteries are within the bus.Bring back the...

Show full comment

The mayor and councils have pollarded and cut down so many trees it’s useless to say authorities would help.They introduce electric buses which the passengers swelter in cos both the engine and batteries are within the bus.Bring back the old diesel route masters and leave the doors open.

The mayor and councils have built over any green spaces with concrete. They do not create any new vast green spaces.They have built so many stupid cycle lanes that all public transport is slowed down.

The mayor is a disgrace and he actually got knighted.

Show less of comment


Timeline

STAGE: Evidence gathering

Launch of the London Climate Resilience Review

Happened

London’s changing climate

Happened
-

Londoners have responded 927 times

Find out more
STAGE: Programme launched

London Climate Resilience Review is published with a recommendation to create the London Heat Risk Delivery Plan

Happened
STAGE: You said, we did

Report on impacts of climate change published

Happened
Read our update
STAGE: Evidence gathering

London Heat Risk Delivery Plan programme launches

Happened
STAGE: Evidence gathering

March-September 2025: Stakeholder engagement to help inform the London Heat Risk Delivery Plan (including here on Talk London)

Happened

Shaping London's Heat Plan

Happening now
-

Londoners have responded 1002 times

Start the survey
STAGE: Programme design

September 2025 - March 2026: Drafting of the London Heat Risk Delivery Plan

Happened
STAGE: Programme launched

Spring 2026: Publication of the London Heat Risk Delivery Plan

Happened