This summer broke records around the UK for maximum temperatures and dry weather.

According to the UK’s Met Office, while it was rare to hit 35°C in the 20th century, that temperature has been surpassed in six out of the past ten years. And it’s only expected to get higher.

Rising temperatures not only contribute to illness and deaths, but also to wildfires, water shortages and the collapse of infrastructure and services.

So has this changed the public’s attitudes at all? According to recent polling data, around 74% of people in the UK say they’ve directly experienced extreme heat, up from 46% before the summer of 2026. And 62% now say extreme heat is the most pressing climate impact, up from 36% in October 2024. Concern about wildfires has jumped from 13% in October 2024, to 47% in 2026.

High temperatures made more 50% of British people more fearful about the future, including how hot summers will affect children. One poll found that 65% of the British public were now concerned about climate change, and only 16% unworried. Among Reform supporters this was 46% and among Green........

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