As global temperatures rise, Britain's cities are being forced to reckon with a future shaped not just by distant climate projections, but by the concrete and asphalt beneath their own feet. New research from Ordnance Survey, the Met Office, and 4 Earth Intelligence has mapped heat vulnerability across all 71 chartered cities in England, Scotland, and Wales, revealing that by 2040 every one of them will reach high vulnerability — and by century's end, nearly two-thirds could reach the most severe tier. Portsmouth, already Britain's most heat-exposed city, will hold that distinction through 210
Portsmouth faces extreme heat crisis as British cities become urban heat islands
Extreme heat threatens public health and wellbeing, with particular impact on deprived areas with limited green space and cooling infrastructure.