Air conditioning will become 'unavoidable' in parts of England as summer heat becomes unbearable

Air conditioning will soon be "unavoidable" to protect many Britons from unbearable summer heat, a top climate adviser to the government has said.

It comes as temperatures are set to reach 28C on Friday, while in the next 35 years, 40C summer heat is likely to become "typical".

Baroness Brown, of the Climate Change Committee (CCC), said cooling measures must be "rolled out at scale".

She was speaking to launch the CCC's major new report on how to defend the country against more intense flooding, heat and drought.

It identified more frequent heatwaves as the single greatest climate threat to public health, already driving excess deaths and sweltering maternity wards.

The experts called for maximum temperature regulations at work, cooling in hospitals and care homes by 2035 and in schools by 2050.

Baroness Brown also suggested ministers should consider shifting the school year, with studies showing children are more likely to fail exams as temperatures rise.

Chris Michael, co-founder of portable air conditioner manufacturer Meaco, said sales are already rising as summers "become hotter, and more consistently so".

He said our buildings were "not designed" for the high temperatures around the corner, adding: "This is one of the reasons why we are struggling."

A shift in the advice

Previously advisers cautioned against widespread use of air conditioning, as its use of energy and chemicals (known as HFCs) add to the global warming it is supposed to alleviate.

But with mega heat now baked in to the future for places like southern England and the Midlands, "actually air conditioning is going to be essential, particularly in places where we have vulnerable people like hospitals and care homes", said Baroness Brown.

"We think it's going to be unavoidable."

Sustainable cooling like shading, shutters and tree-cover should stay play a role, but in many cases would be too expensive or difficult to add on to existing buildings, the committee said.

It has already adjusted emissions budgets to take into account more air conditioning - while low-carbon heat pumps that will eventually replace many gas boilers can cool as well as heat homes.

Campaigners at the Environmental Investigations Agency warned air conditioning would add to the "urban heat island" effect that bakes cities, and said HFCs should be banned.

'Managed relocations' for some coastal communities

The CCC's wide-ranging report warned the "British way of life is under threat" from extreme weather, including flooding on sports pitches and dwindling water supplies on farms.

By 2050, 92% of homes are likely to overheat, peak river flows will be up to 45% higher and water shortfalls could reach five billion litres per day, it said.

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Meanwhile a small number of residents in flood-prone areas will eventually have to abandon their homes in "managed relocations", as defences fail to keep up with rising rivers and seas.

Parts of coastlines in Yorkshire, Norfolk and Suffolk are retreating by 2m to 4m per year.

The cost of adapting the country will run into billions of pounds for governments with little cash to spare. The CCC said the cost would be far less than the damage caused by doing nothing to protect against extreme weather.

The Green Alliance thinktank said "all political parties" should heed the report's warning about how poorly the UK is adapting to climate change so far.

"If they don't, voters will notice as the waters, temperatures and bills rise," it said.

(c) Sky News 2026: Air conditioning will become 'unavoidable' in parts of England as summer heat becomes unbearabl