- Extreme heat in London caused cancellation of a climate event at LSE’s Shaw Library
- The Met Office issued a red weather warning for Greater London due to temperatures over 40°C
- The event lacked cooling systems, risking attendee health amid extreme indoor heat conditions
The extreme heat in the UK has led to the cancellation of a climate event in London. After the Met Office issued a red weather warning for Greater London, the event, scheduled to take place on Wednesday (Jun 24) at the Shaw Library at the London School of Economics as part of Climate Action Week, was promptly shelved. The organisers highlighted that the venue, akin to other London buildings, was not equipped with a cooling mechanism to deal with temperatures reaching north of 40 degrees Celsius.
The event titled Extreme Heat: Improving governance and strengthening action around the world was organised by the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.
"Our London Climate Action Week event on extreme heat has been cancelled...due to extreme heat. The event venue, like most buildings in London, does not have any cooling mechanisms in place, and we cannot risk the well-being of speakers or guests by subjecting everyone to very unpleasant indoor conditions in addition to hot journeys to the venue," the Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance wrote in a LinkedIn post.
"Our apologies to everyone who was planning to attend the event. Thank you for your understanding - and if you are in London, please stay safe."
UK Heatwave
The Met Department stated that this week's record-breaking heatwave may see temperatures exceed 37 degrees Celsius in the shade, with highs of 38 to 40 degrees Celsius in parts of England and Wales. Such has been the heatwave that rail services across Britain were disrupted on Tuesday, and operators urged passengers to travel "only if absolutely necessary". Additionally, train speeds were reduced to exert less force on tracks that are at risk of buckling in the extreme heat.
Some hospitals in England were forced to cancel patient appointments due to high demand for emergency care, amid warnings that the situation could get worse over the coming days.
