London mayor warns of 45C days 'in foreseeable future'

LONDON

The British capital faces the "incredibly worrying" prospect of enduring days that hit 45C (113F) fueled by worsening climate change, warned the London mayor on Monday.

Citing an interim independent climate resilience report for London findings, Sadiq Khan said that it presents a worrying picture for the capital's future as worsening climate change would bring the prospect of enduring days that hit 45C.

"It means the Underground is not fit for purpose, some of the homes are too hot in the daytime, care homes and schools too," he told British daily The Guardian at a climate summit in New York where governments have gathered to discuss how to best deal with extreme heat.

He touched on the need to adapt to those temperatures without delay, saying: "It’s now time for those who are delaying action to wake up ... It’s now and it’s happening to us."

Khan stated that he had ensured the planting of more shading trees and the installation of air conditioning on buses, however, he criticized the government, underlining the need for "more government support" to help cities adapt to climate change.

"We are learning expertise from other cities but we can’t pretend we aren’t behind because the UK has been slow catching up," he told The Guardian ahead of the annual UN General Assembly.

"We have to throw everything at this. We’ve had very little support from the government. The fact the prime minister (Rishi Sunak) isn’t coming to the UN General Assembly and may not go to COP28 speaks volumes."

London’s climate review was launched in June, almost a year after the British capital saw an extraordinary, record-breaking heatwave as temperatures exceeded 40C (104F) in London for the first time on record in July last year.