A landmark report from the Climate Change Committee (CCC) warns that British homes will require air conditioning to cope with predicted levels of global heating, as traditional measures like drawing curtains, opening windows, and planting trees for shade may prove insufficient. The report, published on Wednesday, calls for widespread installation of air conditioning in care homes and hospitals within the next decade, and in all schools within 25 years.
Urgent Adaptation Needed
The CCC advises the government to set a maximum temperature for both indoor and outdoor work. The UK should prepare for 2 degrees Celsius of global heating by 2050, as efforts to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius under the Paris Agreement appear likely to fall short. Heatwaves are expected to exceed 40 degrees Celsius across all parts of the UK by 2050, with longer hot periods potentially causing an additional 10,000 heat-related deaths annually. Approximately 90% of UK homes are at risk of overheating.
Julia King, chair of the CCC's adaptation subcommittee, emphasized that extreme heat poses the most immediate threat to life among climate impacts. "We need to see cooling rolled out at scale," she said. "Sometimes this will mean shading, but sometimes it will mean air conditioning. And either way, we've got to get serious about protecting our most vulnerable people in hospitals, in care homes, and in schools."
Energy-Efficient Cooling Solutions
Current air conditioning systems are energy-intensive, accounting for about 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. However, more efficient modern systems using heat pumps, already subsidized by the government to replace gas boilers, are rarely installed at present. The report suggests that instead of cooling entire buildings, people could choose to have one cool room for use during heatwaves.
Sam Alvis, head of energy security at the IPPR thinktank, called for more solar panels on roofs alongside air conditioning. "We are going to have to get used to being a hot country, which is quite a mindset shift for the UK," he said. "Air conditioning is actually a great pair for solar from an energy system point of view because it matches supply and demand."
Broader Climate Impacts
The climate crisis is already costing the UK about £60 billion annually, or roughly 2% of GDP, including flood damages and crop losses. The report found that "the UK was built for a climate that no longer exists today and will be increasingly distant in years to come."
Key findings include:
- The 7 million UK properties at risk of flooding could increase by 40% by 2050 without action, with peak river flow potentially 45% higher.
- Sea levels could rise by 20cm to 45cm, putting coastal areas at risk, and heavy rainfall intensity could increase by 60%.
- By the end of the century, if temperatures rise by 4°C, storm surges that currently occur once every 100 years would happen annually.
- Natural flood defences like wetlands and "rewiggling" rivers will not be enough; more concrete flood barriers will be needed.
- Droughts will become more frequent: river flows could be about a third lower in summer than 20 years ago, and by 2050 the water supply shortfall could reach 5 billion litres daily—equivalent to about 2,000 Olympic swimming pools.
- More reservoirs must be built to avoid taps running dry. By 2100, summers as dry as 2018 and 1976 would become the norm.
- Even by 2050, the number of high-risk days for wildfires could double, with the wildfire season extending into early autumn.
- Schools should consider heat's impact on exam-taking pupils, including effects on sleep when night temperatures remain above 20°C.
- Domestic food production is under threat; the government should ensure at least 60% of UK food continues to be produced locally. Food prices will rise due to reduced crop yields.
Cost of Adaptation vs. Inaction
The CCC estimates that protecting people and infrastructure would cost about £11 billion annually, with roughly half from the private sector. Every £1 spent would yield about £5 in benefits. Currently, the UK invests 50 times this amount each year, some on infrastructure that exacerbates climate vulnerability. The cost of inaction is rising, from about £60 billion annually and could reach £260 billion annually in just over two decades.
None of the UK's existing national adaptation plans—produced by devolved governments—were fit for purpose, the CCC found. King stressed that preparing for climate impacts and reducing emissions should be treated as national security issues. "With the right decisions, we can protect the people and the places we love. Decline is a choice, it's a political choice, it's not inevitable. We can do something about it," she said.
Water supplies require urgent action. "We are facing a potential world where in 2050 you could turn the tap on and nothing would come out," King warned. "We need more new reservoirs, we need to be able to move water around the country, we need to address leaks and water efficiency."
Emma Reynolds, Secretary of State for the Environment, made no new financial commitment following the CCC's advice but said the government is already acting through record investment in flood defences and nature-friendly farming budgets.
