HEATWAVES

Cities

Extreme heatwaves could be the norm by the 2040s, causing heat-related deaths in the UK to triple.

According to NASA, the average global temperature has increased by about 0.8C since 1880. Two-thirds of that has occurred since 1975.

Green spaces cut excessive heat but urban green space in England has declined from 63% in 2001 to 56% in 2016.

Dr Mark McCarthy, head of the National Climate Information Centre, says in a new report: “A UK summer temperature comparable to extreme summers like 2018 or 1976 now has a likelihood of 11-12% of occurring in any given year.

“That is 30 times more likely than would be expected from natural factors alone.”

The temperature hit 35.3C in Faversham, Kent, in 2018.