Which European countries are not prepared to face hot days?

Switzerland, the UK and Norway are “dangerously ill-prepared” to keep people cool if the world exceeds 1.5C of global warming.

New research from the University of Oxford has revealed which countries will see the most dramatic increase in days requiring cooling interventions such as shutters, fans or air conditioning.

8 of the 10 countries with the largest increase in uncomfortably hot days globally will be Northern Europe.

It’s also a vicious cycle, the researchers say. Without adequate measures for sustainable cooling, there will be a sharp increase in the use of energy hog air conditioner systems

If fossil fuels are used to beat the heat, greenhouse gas emissions increase and accelerate the rate of global warming.

Where will you see the biggest increase in uncomfortably hot days?

The study uses a concept called “cooling degree days.” These are days when the temperature will be above the average for the region and some type of cooling system is needed to keep the populations comfortable.

If global warming exceeds 1.5ºC, Ireland will top the list with 38% more days with these uncomfortably high temperatures.

Switzerland and the UK will see a 30 percent increase, while Norway will see an increase of 28 percent.

Finland and Sweden followed, each with a 28 percent increase, followed by Austria (25 percent), then Canada, Denmark and New Zealand (24 percent).

The researchers say these are also “conservative” estimates. not include extreme events like heat waves that would add to the average increases.

They say these countries are “dangerously ill-prepared” for change.

Northern European buildings are not designed for heat

“Northern European countries will require large-scale adaptation to heat resistance faster than other countries,” says co-lead author Dr. Nicole Miranda.

She points out that the UK saw large amounts of outages during 2022. Unprecedented heat waves. Extreme heat also carries the risk of dehydration, exhaustion, and even death, especially in vulnerable populations such as the elderly or people with disabilities.

“It is a health and economic imperative that we prepare for more hot days,” adds Miranda.

Part of the problem is that buildings in places like northern Europe they are better designed to keep you warm during the winter than they are to keep you cool during the summer months.

Adapting our built environment would mean we don’t need to increase our use of air conditioning, explains study co-lead author Dr. Jesús Lizana.

“At the moment, in countries like the UK, our buildings act like greenhouses: there is no external sun protection on the buildings, the windows are closed, there is no natural ventilation or ceiling fans.

“Our buildings are exclusively prepared for the cold seasons.”