London’s risk from rising temperatures

for some reason I don't really suffer in the heat I drive my girlfriend to work she has her window down mine is always shut the fans are always off and just before I she gets out she shuts the window and I have a 35-45 minute drive home and i'm never without wearing a jacket I always have one on even in the hottest days

We are older people and found 2022 utterly unbearable and this summer even more so (because we're three years older). We both have heart problems and other health issues. Our 60s built house has large windows that face the sun from dawn to dusk. We don't have money for physical alterations outside, even if we were allowed them (we're not because of local rules) and no matter what we do inside (all the common sense things, plus heat-reflective film on windows, blinds, heavy curtains etc) have little effect. We are really struggling. 

I remember that 40+ heatwave and how ill- prepared London and the UK was and still is. Excessive and long running heat kills!  We need far more shade for our buildings and people- shop awnings to keep sun off, more planting, greenery. Education is needed to value water as a precious commodity for the future. UK has poor water storage and this will impact significantly in the future 

 Thinking back to the heatwave of 2022: 

• How did you cope with the heat in London?  

  I hated that summer heat! I am usually someone who will always prefer to be warm rather than cool but that summer was actually scary, I was starting to fear not being able to breathe the air because it was that hot it actually felt like the air was devolved of oxygen or something! It felt like there was nowhere safe to go or if there was it was getting there that presented a problem! I have no air con in my home, I can't afford air con and it's not helped by having windows covering all (top to bottom) or two of my external walls, the property was built in the '60s and is listed so can't be altered. I was seriously scared about fire risks, and too scared to go out. 

• What helped you stay cool at home or while you were out and about? 

Sprayed water, fans, ice poles pre-frozen in preparation, sleeping pills for night and moving very slowly only after 4pm if I had to go out, cancelling my day otherwise at great expense to myself. I was no good to anyone in that heat. 

• What made it better, and what made it worse?  

  It was worse not having aircon but I just don't have that sort of money, the most I could do is use my £15 fan and pour water on my chest, back and ankles to keep cold. 

Thinking of this summer:  

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

  It's not (yet) as hot as it was in '22. I don't know how I will cope if it gets that hot, I still don't have the money for any upgrades on a basic 25 year old electrical fan and water. I have a few long standing health conditions aside from the regular concerns so I do worry, but I don't think I can do anything more than I am doing. 

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

  Not run tubes if you know you can't keep the heat down. Allow people cool safe spaces and transport to get to them if they have not got their own cool spaces or transport to escape the heat. Health advice for dehydration.

I don't remember what we did in 22. Generally we follow the advice on keeping windows and curtains closed when it's hotter out than in. I use an umbrella a as a parasol. Drink plenty of water. Wear a hat outside. 

More trees would be good for lots of reasons. 

Also many more water fountains in the street. Big bottles of water are very heavy to carry and repeatedly buying small plastic bottles of water is bad in lots of ways (I am sure you know).

More cool environments where people could go (like the warm hubs in winter)

Perhaps more deliveries of food etc for vulnerable people but without the starting price being more than what many can afford.

Houses being built with heat as well as cold in mind.

And everyone to be encouraged to follow a predominantly plant-based diet as that contributes less to Climate Change.
 

Plant more trees, pedestrianise streets to discourage driving and encourage walking, cycling and wheeling. All new builds need better insulation against hot summers. Water usage needs to be brought to people’s attention - non watered public spaces with planting that is less reliant on water abundance. 

We need more flexibility in conservation areas. So many great ideas, but the overwhelming majority would not be possible if you live in a conservation area. And given that London has so many conservation areas, 14% of London homes, it feels wrong to leave all these homes out of planning. 

To start with, yes the climate is changing, it has done so for as long as this planet exist.

This summer, 2025, is warmer, but by no means, extreme. The past two summers have been on the cool and wet side , in my memory. Most people have enough common sense and the older generations, enough live experience, that they know how to cope with the warmer days and the few scorchers. The next cool down is always on the way.

I very much resent the fear mongering and panicked heather reports that that do not reflect the real weather. We need information not hyped emotion! 

Governments should provide proper , well functioning infrastructures and leave it to the individual to live as they see fit.

Please do not waste public money on useless project and meaningless political actionism.

Subject: Heat Resilience Ideas for London

The 2022 heatwave (40°C+) exposed critical gaps. As a top-floor flat resident:

What helped:
• Strategic ventilation (open windows overnight/closed daytime) + blackout curtains
• Public cool spaces (libraries/museums) and shaded parks
• Personal cooling: portable fans, hydration packs, cooling towels

What worsened it:
• Tube lines without AC (Central/Bakerloo) hit >45°C
• Minimal shade at bus stops/pavements
• Poorly insulated housing (elderly neighbours suffered)

My 2025 adaptations:
• Installed reflective window film
• Using heat apps to plan shaded walks
• Community WhatsApp group for vulnerable neighbours

London needs:

1. Urgent infrastructure:
   • Mandate AC in all public transport + cooling centers in libraries
   • Accelerate tree planting in "heat islands" (e.g., Stratford, Old Street)
2. Protect vulnerable groups:
   • Retrofit social housing with insulation
   • Free water stations + real-time heat alerts via SMS
3. Long-term fixes:
   • Cool pavements/roofs in new builds
   • Shade sails at transport hubs

Final plea: Prioritize equity—marginalized communities face the highest risks. Integrate these solutions into the Heat Risk Delivery Plan. Thanks to Eleanor, Annette, and the Climate Adaptation team for this vital initiative.

We have absorbed the idea that you should keep windows shut in the day although it took a while to get used to it and I still find it hard to convince people. Feel like that message needs more Comms. 

I'm fortunate enough to work in an office with air con so I am tempted to go in but it feels a toss up because going back on the tube at rush hour (which i need to do to pick up my kid) is so horrible. Anything that can cool both stations and trains would be great. Or maybe increase frequency so they are not so crowded?

London is not really equipped to handle extreme weather — whether it’s heatwaves in summer or cold snaps in winter. Much of it begins with the way buildings are designed and constructed. Many homes, especially older ones, are poorly insulated for keeping heat out in summer (and keeping warmth in during winter).

Personally, I’m quite fortunate to live on the ground floor, so the temperature was slightly lower than on the upper floors of our building. To cope, I kept the blinds down all day, but couldn’t open the windows much because it was so humid outside — there was no breeze to help. I stayed hydrated, avoided going out unless absolutely necessary, and stayed in shaded areas as much as possible.

Having trees around made a big difference — the shaded streets and local parks were a huge relief. However, the lack of accessible public water fountains was an issue. Also, commuting on the Underground during a heatwave was one of the worst parts — it felt stifling, crowded, and completely unventilated.

I think London urgently needs to adapt buildings for extreme weather — better insulation, ventilation, and shading should be priorities. More green spaces and trees also help significantly, but the city should also invest in additional public drinking water points and shaded rest areas. Improving ventilation on public transport, especially the Underground, is critical — it really becomes unbearable during heatwaves.

Can't remember much of the heatwave in 2022 as the hotter weather slows down not just my body but also my thinking. Another "fun" side-effect of having Multiple Sclerosis. There are some people with MS who thrive on the hotter weather but most of us don't. 2022 was also when me and my husband were finally totally cleared to safely venture out with no restrictions - we are both immunocompromised - and we rather quickly caught Covid as most people by then thought it was OK to go out and about even if they weren't well. Sat on a busy train, full of people sniffling, coughing and choking on their pleghm and we had the extra fun of being too hot and sick.
I don't really have any good ways of dealing with the heat, I wrap a cold wet towel around my head and fill up my hot water bottles which I then put in the freezer so I'll have something to cool down my bed. I wish there were some places to go for just cooling down rather than me loitering by the freezers in my local shops. Planting more trees, less car traffic and definetly less planes goes without saying.

It's summer.  It gets warm.  The weather varies from year to year.  Enjoy it. Hot weather is nothing to worry about as long as you take care and you are not particularly vulnerable.  Yes, do try to make people more comfortable but please avoid all this alarmism.

The greening of a city needs forward planning.ie 5, 10, and up to 100 year plans. Each street needs the right number,  spacing and species of trees. Currently tree planting programs in London are inadequate, and barely replace trees felled. Look at a city like Singapore where they have made a strategic decision to cool the city. Insurance and Planning laws need to be changed to cover street trees and trees in private gardens which are increasingly being felled due to possible insurance claims by neighbours, or aversion to shade. 
Old trees cannot be replaced overnight by new trees, which will take 10-20 years to create meaningful shade. 

Unfortunately the questions in your survey didn’t make much sense. 
Reacting to climate change, and planning for extreme weather is not the same as actively trying to prevent climate breakdown. 

Prevention is far more urgent than adaptation. It seems City Hall have given up, or no plan to reduce carbon emissions in a meaningful way.

The focus on heat misses the other dangers from flooding and storms. 
In terms of heat in care homes. The care staff need urgent training and equipment such as fans to support vulnerable residents. Their buildings need shade and cooling by  external planting. Pergolas with climbing plants are much quicker to establish than tall trees, and can provide shade to ground floor south facing windows. External shutters are more effective than internal blinds. Would the Uk change planning to allow them? 

Ban late evening and night time deliveries and waste collections so that people can have their windows open evenings and night times. 
Many many more trees and greenery - essential. Paint roofs white. Insulate, insulate, insulate. Upgrade building regs so all new build and refurb. is much better insulated, equipped with air con and heat pumps. Make HA landlords insulate, provide grants for HA and social housing tenants to insulate their homes and have heat pumps, as the landlords won't do this.

There are alot of comments about air conditioning, which I get... but the tricky thing is it adds to energy use, climate change and then we get hotter. I prefer other solutions, like trees (!) where possible. The forest is generally cool! My parent lives outside London near alot of trees and it is so much cooler in the house. 

I live in a south-facing, one-bedroom high floor apartment and the heat is terrible when it gets to 30+. I bought a standalone A/C unit which was worse than useless, so I returned it and bought a Dyson cooling tower. That is a fan rather than A/C, and not cheap, but it has been a life saver.

The introduction of the air conditioned new tube for London on the Piccadilly line in the coming months was going to be a godsend, but has just been put back a year. Why? TFL have been preparing the track and signals for at least 9 months now. Get those trains going!

How did we survive the heat? We are extremely lucky in that we have one room in our home with air conditioning and we all just stayed in there. I took my children out of school because it just isn’t prepared to deal with extreme heat. Small incredibly warm classrooms and playgrounds with little shade are just awful for little children.

Like many have said here, in extreme heat we don’t use public transport- you just can’t the heat is too painful. So you have to use a car. 

The city needs complete overhaul with the knowledge that sadly it is just going to get warmer. Schools and public transport need to be fit for the future.