The United Kingdom experienced its warmest summer since records began in 1884 and is more likely to witness similar hot weather in the future as a result of human-induced climate change, according to the Met Office. The country faced four heatwaves this summer, with the highest temperature recorded being 35.8 degrees Celsius (96.4 degrees Fahrenheit) in Faversham, southeast England. However, this peak still fell short of the UK’s all-time high of 40.3C (104.5F) recorded in the summer of 2022.
The average temperature for June, July, and August reached 16.1C (60.9F), surpassing the previous record of 15.8C (60.4F) set in 2018. This made the summer of 2025 1.5C (34.7F) above the long-term meteorological average. The Met Office’s head of climate attribution, Mark McCarthy, stated that the summer of 2025 has become more likely due to the greenhouse gases emitted by humans since the Industrial Revolution. This suggests that much hotter summers can be expected in the present and near future.
The Met Office’s announcement aligns with the Conservative Party’s pledge to extract all remaining North Sea oil and gas if elected. However, health experts and climate activists have raised concerns that drilling for additional oil and gas in the North Sea could worsen climate change. The UK’s infrastructure and health systems have struggled to cope with the intensifying heat, with recommendations from Transport for London for passengers to carry water and look after each other while traveling in London’s underground rail network during soaring temperatures in June.
An alliance of 53 UK health organizations, representing one million health professionals, has warned that heatwaves are linked to substantial increases in deaths and can disrupt sleep, increase stress, and worsen mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. Countries worldwide have also recorded record-breaking heat in recent years as global warming intensifies. Japan and South Korea have just experienced their hottest summers on record, while heatwaves in Europe contributed to deadly wildfires in countries like Greece, Spain, and Portugal.
Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province has faced its worst floods in history, affecting two million people. In July, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that countries must uphold their climate obligations and failing to do so could violate international law, potentially allowing affected nations to seek reparations through future legal cases.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/2/uk-had-hottest-summer-since-records-began-met-office-says?traffic_source=rss
