Assembly supports a dedicated Day for the Victims of the Global Climate Crisis

The London Assembly has called on the Mayor, Government and London councils to work together to strengthen London's resilience to extreme weather.

An estimated 2,877 heat-associated excess deaths in England and Wales occurred during heatwaves in May and June of 2026, and the summer has also seen repeated large-scale wildfires nationwide.

The Assembly supports designating 15 July as a Day for the Victims of the Global Climate Crisis, and urges the Mayor to do the same.

Caroline Russell AM who proposed the motion, said:

“Climate resilience cannot be an afterthought. We should be planning ahead instead of reacting once temperatures are already soaring.

“We are already seeing more frequent and dangerous heatwaves and wildfires and there is the very real risk of food shortages as extreme weather hits crop production.

“This motion calls on the Mayor to push for the funding needed to deliver his Heat Plan and for us to prepare for a stronger winter storm season and another hot summer.

“London and Londoners need to be equipped for what is coming rather than waiting passively for the next emergency.”

The full text of the motion is:

“The Assembly notes that the Met Office has said that due to an unprecedented El Niño, 2027 is now likely to be the warmest year on record and – like 2024 – to exceed the 1.5 degrees of warming above the preindustrial period on this planet, which will have unpredictable consequences for extreme weather across the world.

There were an estimated total of 2,877 heat-associated excess deaths in England and Wales during heatwaves in May and June of 2026, and the summer has also seen repeated large-scale wildfires nationwide, a drought with no end in sight in much of England, and insurance claims for subsidence that have hit a new record in London.

That these impacts have been linked to climate change and the risk is that the El Niño warming puts further energy into a climate where globally the last 11 years are the 11 warmest years on record.

The Mayor has now published Heat Ready London showing the actions that could respond to a warmer climate in the city and followed it up with a technical report showing that high temperatures are already estimated to cost the capital £577 million a year in lost productivity.

London emergency services have experienced unprecedented and prolonged demands. The late June heatwave saw London Ambulance Service record the busiest and second busiest days in their history, and again the London Fire Brigade saw their busiest day of the year in early July during another heatwave.

We welcome the Government commitment to a national wildfire summit this autumn, and support the need for strengthening of preparedness and broadening capabilities to respond to increasingly severe weather events.

This Assembly supports the call from National Fire Chiefs Council for a statutory duty for fire and rescue services in England to respond to flooding incidents that pose a risk to life, and the need to underpin that with new financial investment.

This Assembly calls on the Mayor, Government and London councils to act together to provide leadership and funding to take the actions called for in the Climate Resilience Review, Heat Ready London and the latest assessment of UK climate risk, A Well-Adapted UK, including providing easy to understand advice for all Londoners, public bodies and businesses in London.

The Assembly notes that these impacts have been linked to climate change and the risk is that the El Niño warming puts further energy into a climate where globally the last 11 years are the 11 warmest years on record.

This Assembly calls on all Londoners, public bodies and businesses in London to take note of the warnings from the Met Office and plan now for another hot summer, but also for a potentially stronger winter storm season – likely causing more wind and rain than usual. The change in weather patterns will have consequences that must be planned for.

This Assembly also recognises the impact of the El Niño will be global, and many of the worst impacts are expected to affect people less able to prepare than Londoners.

We reiterate our support for designating 15 July as a Day for the Victims of the Global Climate Crisis, and urge the Mayor to do the same.”

The meeting can be viewed via webcast or YouTube.

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