Heatwave July 2025 (Image: Met Office)

“If we keep treating extreme heat like good news for a beach day, we’re putting our heads in the sand when we should be protecting lives.” 

The Future Generations Commissioner for Wales is warning we must stop dismissing heatwaves as routine summer weather and ensure people are protected from extreme temperatures.  

Derek Walker, whose role is to act as an independent guardian of those not-yet-born, under the Well-being of Future Generations Act, said Wales urgently needs long-term, people-led plans for heatwaves and other climate impacts, that protect the most vulnerable, particularly those in poor health and poverty.  

The Met Office has forecast the mercury in parts of Wales is again likely to reach 30C later this week. It follows a heatwave which hit much of Wales at the end of June, following the warmest Spring on record. Met Office climatologists have warned extreme heat events, as well as prolonged droughts, will become more common in summers of the future because of climate change. 

Globally, extreme heat is more deadly than floods, earthquakes and hurricanes combined, taking about 500,000 lives a year, according to a report by the insurer Swiss Re. 

Mr Walker’s latest Future Generations Report says climate risk needs to be core to decision-making and public services, like councils and health boards, should work with communities to assess their needs and vulnerabilities to sudden changes or extremes that come with a changing climate.  

Across Wales, he said places like Cwm Taf Morgannwg Public Services board are leading the way with climate change risk assessments and showing what happens when service providers work together and involve communities to understand how extreme weather events might impact on their day-to-day lives. 

He added he wants to see more climate solutions that work with nature to reduce the risk of impacts of heatwaves, such as wildfires, droughts and flash flooding, for example increased tree cover around our streets and buildings. Medellín in Colombia, for example, has cut temperatures by 2°C by developing a network of green corridors. 

The Well-being of Future Generations Act has led to a new progressive school curriculum, free universal school meals for primary children, and helped put transport on a greener, healthier journey. 

Mr Walker said: “If we keep treating extreme heat like good news for a beach day, we’re putting our heads in the sand when we should be protecting lives.  

“The Future Generations Report 2025 and our long-term vision, Cymru Can, make it clear: Wales needs solutions to heatwaves that work for everyone, not just the few with air con and a garden.  

“The growing number of academics’ call for heatwaves to be named like storms could save lives by making the invisible dangers of heat visible and urgent and help people, especially our older population and those with children, to prepare, and this should be part of our planning. 

“Heatwaves are not just weather—they affect our health, economy and environment, and are a matter of justice, with Spanish research showing low-income people are far more likely to die during extreme heat events.  

“Working with nature can offer the best solutions to mitigate the impacts of heatwaves, such as preventing wildfire and drought, and increased tree cover around our streets and buildings significantly cools down the places where we live. We must involve people and nature in making climate adaptation a core public service, so action is effective for everyone. It saves money to prepare for climate impacts, and the cost of inaction is far higher.”