The Green Party has called on the UK government to set up an emergency Cobra meeting after the Met Office issues the first ever extreme heat warning for the UK. [1]
An amber warning is currently in place for a large part of Wales, all of south-west England and parts of southern and central England.
Green Party deputy leader Amelia Womack said:
“From the devastating floods in Europe to the heat wave in the US and Canada that has also killed hundreds of people, climate change is here and is impacting us all.
“This is the first time the UK has ever seen a warning for extreme heat. It is time this government realised the full extent of how the climate and ecological emergencies will affect our lives and act with the urgency this demands
“This is the reality of how we have to live now. The government needs to do whatever it takes to ensure citizens are protected from the potentially fatal health impacts of extreme heat.
“A Cobra meeting could establish guidelines for action and ensure that funding is available for local authorities to introduce measures to save lives, such as the cooling centres recently set up in Canada.
“Parliament declared a climate emergency more than two years ago [2], yet we have seen next to no action. This has to be the wake up call to make sure the government does what it needs to.
“Every day more opportunities are missed as the clock ticks down to COP26 in Glasgow this year, the most important climate summit ever.
“A Cobra emergency meeting in the wake of the news from the Met Office today would focus this government’s minds on addressing this issue and doing what it takes to look after UK citizens.”
ENDS
Notes
1
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/jul/19/met-office-issues-first-ever-extreme-heat-warning-uk
2
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-48126677