As UK Endures Record Heat, UKGBC Demands Climate Resilience Action

The UK Green Building Council is urging the government to take decisive action by requiring climate adaptation in urban planning. This push comes just after the Met Office confirmed that the UK experienced its hottest day of the year on Tuesday, July 1. Temperatures soared to 33.6 degrees Celsius in Frittenden, Kent, overtaking the previous high of 33.2 degrees recorded in Charlwood, Surrey, just weeks earlier.

In response, the UK Health Security Agency issued amber alerts across much of England, warning that the heat could place a significant strain on public health services and put vulnerable groups at risk. Adding to the concern, June 2025 officially became the warmest June ever recorded in England, with an average temperature of 16.9 degrees, breaking the 2023 record.

Scientists now believe that the recent heatwave, which gripped the country for much of June, was made up to 100 times more likely due to climate change. In the Southeast, current heat conditions are reported to be ten times more likely than they were before the Industrial Era.

These alarming figures are part of what’s driving UKGBC’s latest report, the Climate Resilience Roadmap. This document outlines the urgent risks posed to homes, schools, hospitals and infrastructure by climate-related hazards, ranging from extreme heat and flooding to drought, wildfires and storms. Without widespread adaptation, the report warns, the UK will face increasingly frequent and disruptive weather events.

Some cities and towns are at higher risk than others. According to the roadmap, places such as London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Peterborough, and Fairbourne are expected to face heightened climate exposure. The modelling suggests that under a scenario where global temperatures rise by two degrees above pre-industrial levels, schools in London and the South East could endure up to ten weeks of extreme heat each year. Care homes may be subjected to indoor temperatures exceeding 28 degrees for up to four weeks annually. Hospitals and clinics are likely to face similar heat-related pressures.

The risks also extend to housing. Six million homes in London and the South East could experience at least two weeks of intense heat every year. In some cases, such as in Peterborough and Fairbourne, severe flooding could make entire communities uninhabitable before the end of the century.

To address these challenges, the roadmap proposes a clear four-stage framework designed to integrate climate resilience into construction and urban development. The stages, awareness, anticipation, preparation, and sustained action, include detailed goals and actions for both the industry and policymakers. A significant focus is placed on making better use of green infrastructure such as parks, trees and water systems, and ensuring the workforce is trained to meet the demands of climate-resilient design.

The report also recommends major institutional shifts, including the creation of an Office for Resilience within the Cabinet Office and the reinstatement of a dedicated Minister for Resilience. These moves align with the Government’s recently released 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy, which prioritises infrastructure resilience among its key objectives.

To follow through on this strategy, the Cabinet Office is preparing a comprehensive review of resilience standards across 14 critical sectors, energy, water, transport, digital networks, and more, by 2026. Based on that assessment, the government will determine whether the existing standards are sufficient or require improvement. Data will drive any updates, and they will be carefully weighed against the economic implications of more stringent measures.

Once the standards are defined, departments will work closely with infrastructure operators to estimate the long-term costs of compliance, particularly in light of increasing climate risks. The goal is to have updated resilience standards in place across all critical sectors by 2030, with benefits extending to essential public infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and data centres.

Looking ahead, the government is also considering setting more ambitious targets in the next National Adaptation Programme, scheduled for release in 2028. These goals will likely be built on the same resilience standards.

Meanwhile, the Climate Change Committee continues to sound the alarm. In its most recent assessment, it found that more than one-quarter of adaptation outcomes, 26 per cent, are classified as “insufficient,” the highest proportion ever recorded. According to the committee, the UK has consistently underinvested in adapting key systems, including infrastructure, healthcare and agriculture, leaving the country exposed to growing economic and environmental risks.