Environment cooling requirements will in turn require energy, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy if the correct cooling methods are not rolled out and adopted at scale.
2026’ s current temperature scenario is a reallife example of the high stakes of ill-prepared housing when combined with climate temperatures. More than 2,700 people are thought to have died from heat-related causes during the May and June heatwaves in England and Wales, with 42 % thought to of died due to extra heat caused by humaninduced warming. Young and older residents are particularly vulnerable to ill-regulated temperatures, although it’ s important to note people of any age or fitness level can also succumb to extreme temperatures.
Dr. Clair Barnes, Research Associate in Extreme Weather and Climate Change, Imperial College London said:“ Every time we have a heatwave, our news is filled with reporters at swimming pools, images of people eating ice cream and sunbathers on beaches. We all love the sun, but people need to be aware that we are now seeing dangerous climate-change fuelled heat that is claiming lives, disrupting schools and hospitals and shutting down transport and infrastructure.
“ It’ s time we woke up to the fact that we now live in a country with dangerously hot summers. To protect people during future extremes, we must urgently adapt to the reality of the climate we now have, and double down on global efforts to reach net zero emissions to stop this from getting worse.”
The University of Manchester’ s research calls for the housing and construction sector to make use of weather files similar to those used in the report’ s methodology to understand the projected climate changes and ensure new homes are built with the future in mind. The report also emphasises the need for passive cooling measures which will place no stress on the electricity grid, such as building homes to Passivhaus standards.
The full study can be found here: https:// thinkhouse. org. uk / site / assets / files / 3408 / uom0626. pdf
housingexecutive. co. uk 71