Analysis: The heat burden on child sports in a warming UK from 1970 to today

An analysis of 240 UK cities from 1970 to 2024 shows that 85% have experienced an increase in the average number of days per year exceeding 27°C. In cities such as Cambridge, Luton, and Bedford, the average number of such days rose from 1 per year in the early 1970s to 11-13 per year between 2020 and 2024, with human-caused climate change responsible for the majority of this increase.

• The frequency of days exceeding 27°C has increased in the vast majority of the 240 UK cities analyzed. Specifically, 203 cities (85%) now have more days above 27°C on average each year than they did in 1970, and 104 of those cities now experience at least one additional week (7+ days) above this threshold per year compared to the early 1970s.
• Cities in South East and East England, including Cambridge, Luton, Bedford, Aylesbury, High Wycombe, and Milton Keynes, have seen a significant rise in heat exposure. These cities averaged 1 day per year above 27°C in the early 1970s, increasing to 4-5 days by the early 2000s, and reaching 11-13 days per year in the 2020–2024 period.
• Human-caused climate change is the primary driver of the increased heat burden. In the highlighted South East and East England cities, climate change has added approximately 7-9 days above 27°C per year compared to the 1970s. In Cambridge specifically, the number of hot days attributed to climate change is now nine times higher than in the early 1970s.

APA

Climate Central (2025). Analysis: The heat burden on child sports in a warming UK from 1970 to today. https://www.climatecentral.org/report/uk-children-sports-and-heat

Chicago

Climate Central. Analysis: The heat burden on child sports in a warming UK from 1970 to today. 2025. https://www.climatecentral.org/report/uk-children-sports-and-heat.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Central |title=Analysis: The heat burden on child sports in a warming UK from 1970 to today |date=17 July 2025 |url=https://www.climatecentral.org/report/uk-children-sports-and-heat |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatecentral2025analysis, author = {{Climate Central}}, title = {{Analysis: The heat burden on child sports in a warming UK from 1970 to today}}, institution = {Climate Central}, year = {2025}, month = jul, url = {https://www.climatecentral.org/report/uk-children-sports-and-heat}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }