Report: UK ‘cannot air condition its way out’ of heat crisis
6 July 2026
The UK needs an urgent national cooling strategy to cope with rising temperatures and avoid a surge in air conditioning that could drive up emissions and energy demand, according to a new report.
The Environmental Investigation Agency’s (EIA) briefing, UK Cooling Policy in a Warming World, says Britain is warming faster than the global average and is increasingly exposed to dangerous heat.
The report warns that heatwaves are already causing thousands of excess deaths each year and that more than half of UK homes are at risk of overheating. Under a 2ºC warming scenario, that figure could rise to more than 90% by 2050.
Without intervention, the EIA says the UK risks an unplanned expansion of air conditioning, increasing electricity demand and widening inequalities as access to cooling remains uneven. The environmental group is calling on the government to develop a National Cooling Action Plan that brings together climate adaptation, public health and net zero goals.
According to the briefing, the UK has warmed by around 0.25C per decade since the 1980s. It also points to 2025 as the country’s hottest year on record, with more than 40,000 hectares burned during the UK’s worst wildfire season. The report also raises concerns over hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), refrigerants commonly used in cooling systems that have a much greater warming impact than carbon dioxide.
While the UK is legally committed to cutting HFC use by 79% between 2015 and 2030, the EIA says proposals to strengthen the phase-down have been delayed beyond 2027, leaving Britain behind the European Union, which has legislated for a complete phase-out by 2050.
The briefing argues that passive cooling measures, including better building design and climate-resilient urban planning, should be prioritised over making air conditioning the default response to rising temperatures.
“Without a coordinated strategy, the UK risks replacing one climate challenge with another,” the report says.
