Interesting article today that got suggested to me:
Heat in the UK
Some parts of the article:
“Already, around 20 per cent of homes in England alone overheat in the summer and a drive to insulate homes against cold could make overheating even worse.
Millions of people now live in homes unfit for the warmer climate we’re hurtling towards.
Without fast adaptation, it’s vulnerable people — from the elderly to the low-income and disabled — who’ll be left most exposed.”
“It’s a threat few, including policymakers, have paid attention to, says Bob Ward, policy and communications director at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change.
“The effects of heat are underestimated in the UK, but we have literally hundreds of people in this country who die every summer because of overheating,” he says.
“Mainly this is people who already have underlying health conditions, and often they’ll die alone – heat kills you much more quickly than cold.”
“Low-income households, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities are, for instance, more likely than the general population to be renting homes, and it’s rented and social housing — often flats — which are more prone to overheating.
“Unlike a free-standing house, flats are surrounded by other homes, making it harder for heat to escape,” says Professor Kevin Lomas at the University of Loughborough, who conducted research into overheating in homes in 2018.
He added that top floor flats, where heat rises to, are worst affected. “Plus, there are fewer outside walls, making ventilation difficult,”
Reduced space in flats, meanwhile, makes escaping heat difficult or even impossible, and there are
few safe havens from high temperatures if there are no trees nearby to shelter from the sun.”
“Those on lower incomes are less able to afford cooling devices like fans, while also being more likely to do shift work, sleeping during the day when the sun is at its hottest.
Advice issued by the NHS on coping in heatwaves suggests “mov[ing] into a cooler room for sleeping” but, for millions, this cool room simply doesn’t exist.”
I hope it’s ok that I’ve posted this, I found it a really good article, lots more in there about how people suffer in the heat. I posted it to perhaps offer some different perspectives for those who say we’re just enjoying moaning at anything and ruining it for others. It’s definitely a real issue.