PARIS — The mercury hit 42°C in Paris yesterday, the highest temperature recorded in the city since records began. Across the continent, from Berlin to Barcelona, the heatwave has claimed dozens of lives, disrupted transport, and strained power grids. But in Britain, where similar temperatures were experienced earlier this month, the toll has been notably lighter. Now European officials are looking to UK resilience planning as a blueprint for coping with a warming world.
For the past decade, the UK has invested in a network of cooling centres, early warning systems, and mandatory workplace heat regulations. The Climate Change Act 2008, which required regular risk assessments and adaptation plans, has been credited with saving lives. “The British model is not about pretending the heat won’t come again,” said Dr. Alice Thornton, a climate resilience expert at Imperial College London. “It’s about accepting that it will, and preparing for it in a way that protects the most vulnerable.”
But for many workers, the heat is not just an inconvenience: it is a threat to their livelihood. In London, construction workers and delivery drivers have walked off the job in recent weeks, demanding better protection and pay for working in extreme conditions. The GMB union has called for a legal maximum indoor temperature of 30°C, and for outdoor workers to be given the right to stop work when the heat becomes dangerous. “My mate collapsed on a building site last week,” said Gary Davies, a bricklayer from Leeds. “The bosses said it was just a case of drinking more water. But when you’re hauling bricks in 35 degrees, it’s not that simple.”
The government, under pressure from employers, has resisted a blanket “stop work” right. Instead, it has funded a public information campaign and distributed free water bottles to construction sites. Critics say this is not enough. “We need a proper heat law, like they have in Spain,” said Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the TUC. “Until then, workers will keep dying.”
The heatwave has also exposed the deep inequalities in Britain’s housing stock. In the North West, where many terraced homes were built in the 19th century without insulation or ventilation, indoor temperatures have soared. In Manchester, community centres have opened their doors to the elderly, who sleep on camp beds in air-conditioned halls. “It’s not just about this week,” said Jean Roberts, a volunteer at a centre in Salford. “It’s about the fact that these homes are unfit for purpose. And unless the government invests in retrofitting, it will only get worse.”
Meanwhile, the cost of cooling has risen sharply. Energy bills, already at record highs, have jumped by an average of £100 for households that have had to run fans or air conditioning for days on end. For families already struggling with the cost of living, the choice between eating and cooling is becoming unbearable. “We’ve had to choose between running the fan and buying food,” said Lisa Hartley, a single mother from Birmingham. “It’s not a choice anyone should have to make.”
The EU, which has been slower to adapt, is now watching Britain’s response with interest. A European Commission source said that the UK’s resilience planning “has many elements worth replicating” in upcoming EU climate adaptation legislation. But there is scepticism that the British model can be exported wholesale. “What works in a relatively cool, wet country like Britain may not work in southern Europe,” said Professor Julia Stein of the University of Heidelberg. “But the principle of preparing for heatwaves as a long-term threat, rather than a freak event, is something we can all learn from.”
As the heatwave continues, the urgency of action is clear. In Paris, the death toll is expected to rise. In London, the unions are planning more walkouts. And in Brussels, the bureaucrats are polishing their plans. For Britain, the heatwave has been a test. Whether it passes or fails will depend on whether the resilience planning is matched by a political will to protect people, not just systems.
For the workers on the front line, the wait for action feels too long. “They talk about being a model for the EU,” said Gary Davies. “But what about being a model for our own people? We need the right to stop work when it’s 40 degrees. That’s not too much to ask.”
