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The United Nations chief has warned that London is ‘cooking’ while issuing a sobering reminder of the hazards of fossil fuels.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres referenced Charles Dickens’ novel A Tale Of Two Cities in a significant address at London Climate Motion Week because the capital swelters in a severe heatwave.
‘London isn’t just calling. It’s cooking,’ the UN chief said.
‘Crisis brings clarity and here in London – town of Dickens – it is obvious that our world is facing a ‘tale of two crises’,’ he added.
‘A climate crisis is pushing us deeper towards higher temperatures and closer to catastrophic tipping points, and an energy crisis is exposing the folly of a world hooked on hydrocarbons.
‘On the surface, these crises could appear separate, but they share the identical destructive origin: fossil fuels.’
Temperatures are expected to smash the June record set in 1976 by several degrees as human-driven climate change intensifies the impact of a heat dome settling over western Europe.
The arrival of the El Niño warming weather phenomenon this summer risks ‘blowing the home down’ because it compounds the escalating impacts.
Guterres’ speech comes amid market volatility due to the continued Iran War, which has caused fossil fuel prices to surge.
Each crises demand the ‘same answer’, he said: ‘A quick, fair transition to scrub energy and a surge in adaptation, resilience and climate justice for those already facing climate harm.’
A red weather warning for extreme heat covering an area stretching from London to Swansea and Somerset to Birmingham was issued by the Met Office from 9am on Wednesday to 9pm on Thursday.
The temperature could come near the UK’s all-time high of 40.3C which was measured in July 2022.
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Overnight, the temperature didn’t dip below 20C at nine locations across England, recording what the Met Office classifies as a tropical night.
The new weather led to thunderstorms and lightning strikes over England in the course of the early hours of Tuesday.
Advice has also been issued for transport users, with Network Rail warning passengers should ‘only travel if absolutely essential on Wednesday and Thursday’.
Jake Kelly, deputy chief executive of Network Rail, said: ‘Extreme heat can have a major impact on the railway, so safety must come first.
‘We’re asking passengers to examine before travelling on Tuesday, and only travel if absolutely essential on Wednesday and Thursday if they will, from or inside the red warning zone, as temperatures are expected to peak.
‘In case you do must travel on this area or outside of it, where it’ll still be hot, please plan ahead, allow time beyond regulation and take mandatory precautions, similar to carrying water, to remain protected. We thank passengers for his or her patience and understanding during this era.’
Transport for London (TfL) warned customers of possible disruption to rail and Tube services, saying rail temperatures could lead on to temporary speed restrictions and reduced services.
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