By Josef Baines, Insight Manager
This summer’s heatwaves are a stark reminder that London is changing
Hotter temperatures are no longer occasional extremes – they’re becoming part of everyday life. While warm weather encourages many of us to get outside and be active, rising temperatures are also creating new challenges for our health, our communities and the places where we play sport and exercise.
For those of us working to help Londoners live longer, healthier and happier lives through being active, this isn’t just an environmental issue. It’s a public health issue, and an inequality issue too.
A hotter city
Climate change is driving rising temperatures across the UK, but London faces an additional challenge.
The city’s buildings, roads and paved surfaces absorb heat throughout the day before releasing it slowly into the evening – a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect. At the same time, as green spaces are replaced by development, London loses some of its natural ability to cool itself.
The impact is already significant. Analysis from the Greater London Authority estimates that around one million homes are at high risk of overheating, alongside more than 1,300 schools, 60 hospitals and 351 care homes located in areas vulnerable to extreme heat.
Heat isn’t felt equally
Like many health challenges, the effects of extreme heat are not experienced equally.
People living in deprived communities, older adults, disabled people and those with long-term health conditions are among those most vulnerable. High housing costs, poorly insulated homes and limited access to cooling measures all make it harder to cope during prolonged periods of hot weather.
The UK’s Government Actuary’s Department has also highlighted the relationship between deprivation and heat exposure. Every neighbourhood ranked among both the 10% most deprived in England and the 10% most exposed to hot summer days is located within London boroughs, including Brent, Haringey, Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Newham. Several of these boroughs are also places where London Sport works with partners to tackle inactivity and reduce health inequalities.
This highlights the challenge facing many communities across the capital. The places experiencing some of the greatest barriers to being active are also among those most exposed to extreme heat, meaning climate change risks compounding existing health inequalities and making it even harder for people to be active safely and regularly.
What does this mean for sport and physical activity?
Physical activity remains one of the best things we can do for our health, but hotter conditions mean we need to think differently about how we support people to be active safely.
Even without exercise, extreme heat places additional strain on the body. Add physical activity into the mix and the demands increase further, with greater risks of heat exhaustion, dehydration and, in severe cases, life-threatening heat stroke.
These risks aren’t limited to elite athletes. Community clubs, volunteers, coaches, officials and spectators can all be affected, while poorly ventilated indoor sports facilities can become dangerously hot during heatwaves.
The surfaces we play on are changing too.
During the recent UK heatwave, thermal imaging commissioned by Greenpeace found ground temperatures reaching 56°C in Piccadilly Circus and 65°C in Holborn, despite air temperatures of around 35°C. Children’s playgrounds, outdoor gym equipment and sports facilities can all become significantly hotter than the air around them.
Research also shows that synthetic pitches consistently reach higher surface temperatures than natural grass. At the same time, hotter, drier summers can leave grass pitches harder and more susceptible to wear, reducing their natural cushioning. This may increase impact forces and the risk of injury, creating new challenges for both facility managers and participants.
Adapting for the future
The good news is that there are practical steps we can take.
Providing more shade, planting trees, improving access to drinking water, increasing ventilation in sports facilities and scheduling activities during cooler parts of the day can all help people stay active more safely during periods of extreme heat.
Of course, this won’t fix the problem alone, but the point is that longer term investment in greener neighbourhoods, climate-resilient sports facilities and thoughtful urban design will be essential if we want London to remain an active, healthy city.
Climate change is already reshaping the environment in which people live, work and exercise. As temperatures continue to rise, the sport and physical activity sector must adapt alongside it.
The benefits of being active remain as important as ever. Our challenge now is making sure everyone can continue to enjoy those benefits safely, regardless of where they live or who they are.
