A devastating heatwave sweeping across Europe has claimed at least 1,300 lives, with Germany recording a staggering 41.7C. The UK, while not spared from the scorching temperatures, has seen its heat-health alert system lauded globally for mitigating the worst of the crisis. But for many workers on the front line, the heat is just another cost of living crisis.
The mercury has soared to record levels across the continent, from Paris to Berlin, with emergency services overwhelmed and hospitals reporting a surge in heat-related illnesses. In Spain alone, more than 500 deaths have been linked to the heatwave. Italy and France have also seen hundreds of fatalities. The elderly and the vulnerable have been hit hardest, but the heat respects no border.
Britain’s heat-health alert system, operated by the UK Health Security Agency, has been held up as a model for other nations. It issues warnings when temperatures are expected to hit 30C, triggering a coordinated response from the NHS, local authorities, and care homes. Early warnings, shaded public spaces, and calls for check-ins on isolated neighbours have saved lives. The system has been praised by the World Health Organization and copied by several European countries.
But for many working people in the UK, the heatwave is not just a health emergency. It is a reminder of a housing crisis that leaves millions sweltering in poorly insulated homes, and a labour market where overheated warehouses and kitchens are the norm. Unions are calling for mandatory cooling breaks and stricter maximum temperature limits in workplaces. “You can’t just tell people to drink water when they’re stacking shelves in a tin roof with no air con,” said one GMB organiser.
In the North of England, where I live and work, the heat is a cruel mix of privilege and poverty. The well-off retire to their gardens or shopping centres with air conditioning. The rest of us sweat it out in buses, terraced houses, and factories. The heatwave is the latest blow to a region already battered by austerity and deindustrialisation. Meanwhile, energy prices mean that fans and cooling devices are a luxury for many.
The government has urged the public to look out for their neighbours, but some activists argue that structural change is needed. “Heatwaves expose the cracks in our society. We need a green new deal that insulates homes, pays living wages, and reduces inequality,” said a spokesperson for the campaign group Heat or Eat.
The heatwave is a global phenomenon, but its impact is deeply local. In the UK, the heat-health alert system has saved lives, but it cannot fix the underlying inequalities that make a heatwave a death sentence for some and an inconvenience for others. As the planet warms, these existential questions will only grow more pressing.
