Extreme heat in London has led to the cancellation of a climate event on the topic of extreme heat.
The event, which was set to take place on Wednesday at the Shaw Library at the London School of Economics as part of Climate Action Week was cancelled after the Met Office issued a red weather warning for Greater London.
An area stretching from London to Swansea and Somerset to Birmingham will now be covered by a red alert from 9am on Wednesday and 9pm on Thursday.
The event titled Extreme Heat: Improving governance and strengthening action around the world was organised by the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.
“The event venue, like most buildings in London, does not have any cooling mechanisms in place, and we cannot risk the wellbeing of speakers or guests by subjecting everyone to very unpleasant indoor conditions in addition to hot journeys to the venue,” wrote the Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance in a post on social media on Tuesday.
“Our apologies to everyone who was planning to attend the event. Thank you for your understanding – and if you are in London, please stay safe.”
This week the Met Office issued a rare red weather warning for Wednesday and Thursday in the face of extreme heat and humidity.
The weather forecaster said that this week’s record-breaking heatwave will see temperatures exceed 37C in the shade and could even see them rise to 38C to 40C in some parts of England and Wales.
The intensity of this week’s hot conditions have been very rare in the UK until now and are expected to be accompanied by high humidity, and very warm and humid nights which will make it hard for people to recover overnight, the Met Office added.
“The magnitude of future impacts from extreme heat will largely depend on global mitigation efforts, local heat governance, and response plans,” wrote the Zurich Climate Alliance.
“Cities like London have unique potential to adapt to changing heat risks through effective risk management at multiple levels, connecting policies and incentives, and strengthening community adaptation capacity.”
A spokesperson for Practical Action told The Independent: “If the UK is struggling to cope, then it’s really important we take climate change seriously and learn from what is happening around the world.”
An amber heat alert is in place on Tuesday for the East Midlands, East of England, London and the South East, the South West, Wales and the West Midlands.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has warned that this will lead to a rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions and that it will impact people’s ability to work.
