Topic
Environment EU UK

Heatwave Forces Payment To Generators

3 months ago

A Europe-wide heatwave drove surging cooling demand, forcing British gas plants to be paid nearly £4m to generate during England’s World Cup match and prompting calls for school cooling measures.

25%
The heatwave in Europe is so extreme, it's 25–32°F (14–18°C) above normal. You read that right.

France recorded it's hottest day ever.
The UK had its hottest ever June day.
The ground is exceeding 122°F (50°C).
People are dying.

Tell me again why we shouldn't talk about climate change???
June 25, 2026 at 3:23 AM
31%
As we have experienced this week, extreme temperatures are no longer a future threat. They are a present danger.

Today, I’m launching London’s first ever heat plan: a city-wide plan to adapt our capital, protect communities, and build a climate-resilient city.
June 25, 2026 at 7:00 AM
17%
It's probably time European journalists wrapped their heads around Heat Index (temp + relative humidity). In high humidity, sweating is less efficient, making heat worse, e.g.:

Experiencing 35°C in London UK (70% RH) is more dangerous than 50°C in Phoenix Arizona (15% RH)
June 24, 2026 at 10:22 AM
22%
1976 and all that...

Greenhouse gas emissions, mainly from burning fossil fuels, have caused global temperatures to rise 1°C since 1976, but comparable UK heatwaves are now 3°C hotter, and would peak at 38-39°C.

(Oh look, same as this week's temperatures...)

theconversation.com/we-recreated...
June 24, 2026 at 3:34 PM
11%
3500 excess deaths in UK in 1976 heatwave

Many places ran out of water

It wasn't embraced it was fucking miserable

And this fantastist is an idiot
June 24, 2026 at 8:33 PM
5%
UK records its hottest June day on record.

The climate crisis is here, now.

Shame on any politician, corporate CEO, or union boss who still lobbies against urgent climate action. You're condemning us all to heatwave hell, health issues and avoidable deaths.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...
UK records its hottest June day, beating highs from 1957 and 1976
Temperature of 35.7C recorded in Surrey, beating previous record of 35.6C, while France records hottest day nationally
www.theguardian.com
June 24, 2026 at 3:21 PM
16%
Also, as a species we emit about 4 times the GHGs globally for heating as we do for cooling. We don’t have these same weird rounds of “should we *really* be heating our houses in the winter?” discourse because it’s what we’ve always done and so obviously needed. Well, cooling is life-saving too.
climate.mit.edu
June 25, 2026 at 4:04 AM

Reposted by Peter Thorne

6%
Instead of air conditioning, this is how Parisian schools are adapting to extreme heat. This is the same thing people in the UK were doing 50 years ago during the 1976 heatwave.
June 24, 2026 at 12:27 PM
12%
A child born in 1976 experienced a UK climate that no longer exists.

Since then:

👉 Global temperatures have risen ~1°C
👉 UK heatwaves have become 3–4°C hotter
👉 The UK has exceeded 40°C for the first time

The baseline has shifted.

theconversation.com/we-recreated...
We recreated the legendary heatwave summer of 1976 in today’s climate – here’s what we found
For 15 consecutive days, temperatures were over 32°C. Today, heatwaves are 3°C or 4°C hotter.
theconversation.com
June 24, 2026 at 1:57 PM
11%
As a massive heatwave sweeps Europe, a new study led by @jessieruthgs.bsky.social shows climate change will widen Europe’s income gap further.

In a 1.5°C world, heatwaves and drought could reduce average household incomes by 7.5% across Europe and by 27% in a 2.7°C world.
tinyurl.com/bdfhtdch
As heatwave sweeps Europe, study warns of growing toll on household…
A new Climate Analytics study shows that combined heat-and-drought events already reduce average household incomes by almost 3% across Europe, with much larger losses in the hardest-hit regions.
climateanalytics.org
June 24, 2026 at 11:40 AM
23%
17%
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3%
🥵 It's hot in here.

Europe is sweating through a record-breaking heatwave that's killing people, trees, and destroying crops.

Meanwhile in Brussels:

EU governments push to divert green investment funds towards fossil fuel expansion.

Read the full story 👇
www.politico.eu/article/eu-c...
EU countries want oil exploration to be classed as a green investment
The proposed changes could see oil giants like TotalEnergies showing up in sustainable investment funds.
www.politico.eu
June 25, 2026 at 6:47 AM
16%
The article is written by some of my Europe-based colleagues and I appreciate its thoughtfulness - a bit more even-handed than the great US vs Europe AC Discourse on here. It makes the case for cooling for all, combining active and passive cooling approaches, efficient use, and clean energy.
June 25, 2026 at 3:42 AM
12%
“The architectural style — sometimes referred to as New London Vernacular — has emerged as a particularly challenging design against the backdrop of rising temperatures”.
What’s your experience been in these flats? #London

www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Londoners Complain of ‘Unbearable Heat’ in City’s Modern Housing
In Britain’s capital city, an architectural trend that started about two decades ago is now being linked to unbearable levels of indoor heat.
www.bloomberg.com
June 24, 2026 at 8:45 AM

Reposted by Scott A. Imberman

1%
air conditioning is good and right and a just climate future has zero emissions and also air conditioning and we should build a better world where people don’t die in heat waves
Our research confirms this. Climate change increases the need for air conditioning for people to not die in heat waves. We need clean energy. We need efficient buildings. We need green infrastructure. We need more of this that most folks can imagine. We should start building it all right now.
I’ve read a lot of research on air conditioning, heat waves, and mortality, and there’s extremely strong consensus among actual experts about “we need to expand global access to air conditioning at the same time as we engage in other sustainable measures, like better architecture and green spaces.”
June 25, 2026 at 1:58 AM
5%
11%
This European heat wave seems to have broken Germans' opposition to AC (finally). I have never had this many people texting, calling and emailing about getting an AC unit as the last few days. It may have finally sunk in that this is not "just another hot summer like in the old days".
June 24, 2026 at 8:42 PM

Reposted by Stuart White

1%
While the government collapses, kids are fainting in classrooms and workers are sweltering.

It's time to heatproof Britain:

1⃣ Heatproofing for every home that needs it
2⃣Cooling measures for schools, hospitals and care homes
3⃣ A maximum workplace temperature limit.
June 24, 2026 at 1:11 PM