Preparing for a hotter climate
The National Heat Risk Commission is an independent commission established in 2026 to help the UK prepare for the growing risks of extreme heat.
These risks are already manifesting and were brought to the fore in July 2022 when the temperature in the UK passed 40⁰C for the first time in recorded history. Summer 2026 was also record-breaking with five heatwaves, high temperatures, widespread drought and wildfires. Critical infrastructure, public services, businesses and supply chains faced significant pressures. Estimated heat-related deaths in England from the May and June heatwaves alone nearly matched the record total for the whole of 2022.
The Commission’s work is intended to support the broader national effort on resilience. Our case is not that heat matters more than other hazards but rather that the gap between the scale of the risk and the current response is wider for heat than for almost any other climate hazard the UK faces.
In September 2026 we published our framing report, A Heat Circuit Breaker for the UK, and launched our Call for Evidence – find out more below.
