London’s efforts to deal with rising temperatures come at a considerable financial cost that will require the city to turn to private investors for help, the mayor of the UK capital said.
“This is an environmental crisis, but also it’s an economic crisis, a public health crisis, and a s
ocial justice crisis,” London Mayor Sadiq Khan said in an interview on Thursday. “The costs of inaction outweigh the cost of action, but also we recognize we can’t do this by ourselves from City Hall.”
It’s already clear that even short bursts of high temperatures can leave a major dent in the city’s finances. Heat waves in 2022 — the year Londoners first experien
ced 40C — cost £1.5 billion ($2 billion), the Mayor’s office said in a report. Around 1 million London homes are at high risk of overheating, it said, and it would cost somewhere
between £9 billion and £45 billion to make the most vulnerable homes more resilient.
Given the costs ahead, the city of London will require private investment to help it pay for all th
e upgrades needed to deal with heat in the years to come, according to Thursday’s report.
The assessment comes as attendees at London Climate Action Week have struggled to stay cool during panels and events intended to address global warming.
Temperatures this week have hovered around 35C (95F), rendering conditions in parts of London unbearably hot.
Many LCAW attendees posted on social media that they were staying home due to the heat.
Some events, including a meeting about extreme heat due to be held at the London School of Economics,
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were canceled. The charity Greenpeace said it had recorded temperatures of more than 55C on central London pavements and transit platforms.
The London Ambulance Service registered a record number of calls for life-threatening emergencies on Wednesday because of the heat. Emergencies i
ncluding faintness, shortness of breath and heart issues were also all higher than usual, and overall
there were 642 “Category 1” calls – the highest number ever, it said.
The Mayor of London’s report marks the first time the city has set out a plan for dealing with extreme heat in the age of climate change. It details the threats
Londoners face from poorly-adapted homes, transport systems, offices and public spaces.
Priorities include adding shutters to high-risk homes and shade to public spaces, planting more trees, expanding access to swimming, and lowering temperatures in schools.
Though the Mayor’s office said external shading should be prioritized to stop buildings from overheating, it also conceded that air conditioning will be n
eeded “for vulnerable settings such as health and care.” AC units may also be needed to achieve safe and
comfortable temperatures in other settings, it said.
The Mayor’s office has previously voiced skepticism toward air conditioning due to the ene
rgy required to run units, and the risk of creating urban heat islands, as hot air is sucked out of buildings and transferred onto city streets.
