With temperatures expected to hit 40C today in some parts of the UK, and as forecasters warn that record-breaking heat could return later in the summer, Janet Finch-Saunders MS, Shadow Minister for Climate Change, has called on the Welsh Government to implement her 7 point action plan.
A two-day period of unprecedented weather conditions saw Wales set a new provisional temperature record of 37.1C yesterday. A heat dome is expected to develop over the Mediterranean in August that could pull very high temperatures into the UK once again.
Acknowledging that higher temperatures is part of a long term trend linked to climate change, Janet said:
“Whilst the hot weather is expected to break tomorrow, we need to keep up the heat on the Welsh Government.
“Climate change is likely to increase heat-related mortality, heat stroke and heat exhaustion indoors. Projections of heat-related mortality show that in Wales, heat-related deaths could increase from a baseline of 2.4 per 100,000 people per year to 6.5 per 100,000 by the 2050s. That’s over a doubling of risk!
“Last year I highlighted that the UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA3) Summary for Wales made clear that more action was needed to safeguard health and well-being from a rise in temperatures.
“In fact the impact of increasing high temperatures on people’s health and wellbeing in Wales was given a high future magnitude score and noted as an area where more action is required now.
“Several actions need to be taken by the Welsh Government to ensure that Wales is more resilient in the face of future high temperatures. My plan includes:
1. Tackling the major policy gap that is the lack of measures to prevent overheating in Building Regulations and other housing policy affecting new build and existing homes
2. Investigating the ability of continued energy supply in light of high and low temperatures
3. Delivering the overdue Clean Air Act for Wales
4. Addressing the lack of data on the impact of high and low temperatures, wind and lightning on road infrastructure and other receptors;
5. Championing food production and security in Wales as a means of tackling the key risk of variability in access to food due to disruptions to the supply chain from arising weather events and climate hazards.
6. Working with business and industry to develop sector specific resilience plans in the face of significant direct impacts of temperature extremes on productivity in, for example, the industrial, construction, agriculture and tourism sectors (there would be less impact on the services sectors given this is predominantly indoor activity)
7. Increasing urban tree planting”
