How should London cope with more summer heatwaves and wildfires? Video

Date:: 26 June 2023, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Speaker:: Dr Maria Athanassiadou, Dr Thomas Smith, Abby Crisostomo, Kristen Guida, Miho Yoshizaki
Venue:: Hong Kong Theatre, Clement House, LSE, Aldwych, London WC2B 4JF

Aerial view of the Wennington wildfire, London, 19 July 2022. (Credit: Harrison Healy/ Creative Commons Attribution license).

This event was co-hosted by the Grantham Research Institute and the London Climate Change Partnership as part of London Climate Action Week 2023.

Speakers

Dr Maria Athanassiadou, Scientific Manager, Urban Climate Services, UK Met Office

Dr Thomas Smith, Associate Professor in Environmental Geography, London School of Economics and Political Science

Abby Crisostomo, Head of Green Infrastructure, Greater London Authority

Kristen Guida, Urban Resilience Manager, Greater London Authority

Miho Yoshizaki, Public Health Speciality Registrar, Public Health Team, Haringey Council

Chair

Bob Ward, Policy and Communications Director, Grantham Research Institute, and Chair, London Climate Change Partnership

Description

London is experiencing more intense and frequent periods of extreme hot weather due to climate change. In summer 2022, hundreds of deaths occurred across London during heatwave periods, and terrifying wildfires spread from green spaces to housing. How well prepared is London to deal with the risks of hot weather this summer? And what must the capital do to make itself more resilient to extreme hot weather in the future. This expert panel provided overviews on different aspects of these challenges, answered questions from the audience.