Extreme heat wave in England is becoming risky for 6 million people

Extreme Heat (Representative Image - Canva)

Heatwaves in England are keeping 6 million lives at risk due to the extreme heat. This heatwave is a high risk to children and older people due to the lack of climate protection and the increase in global warming causing this much heat according to the justice group Friends of the Earth.

In England, there are around 1.7 million people who are under the age of 5 and 4.3 million people who come under old age. And the not healthy people make this number even higher when it comes to the negative impact of extreme heat on the body.

According to the research of the justice group Friends of the Earth, there are  700,000 people living with heart disease, 1.5 million people living with asthma, 400,000 people living with respiratory diseases and 1.6 million people living with diabetes.

This data proves that in how much risk England people are currently due to climate change since all the health conditions are very serious.  According to an analysis, it revealed the second anniversary of the UK’s highest-ever temperature record where the temperature went up to 40 degrees.

Friends of the Earth have identified around 15,662 neighbourhoods that are vulnerable to extreme heat. These heat-vulnerable neighbourhoods are characterized by their very hot temperatures where the temperature goes up to 27.5 degrees Celsius (81.5 degrees Fahrenheit) or higher for five consecutive days or more.

The urban heat island effect, prevalent in densely populated areas, exacerbates these conditions, making cities even hotter than their rural counterparts.

At a high court hearing taking place next week Friends of the Earth along with individuals whose lives have already been severely impacted by the climate crisis is set to challenge the UK’s climate adaptation plans in what is believed to be an unprecedented legal case in the country.

Some claim that the steps taken by the previous administration are insufficient to protect people from the effects of climate change, which is expected.

They claim that to guarantee the safety of those most susceptible to the escalating intensity of weather extremes, the new Labour government needs to develop and execute much more comprehensive measures.