Member's statement: Climate Change: UK Heatwave
Member's statement by Mr John Blair on .
- MLA
- Mr John Blair
- Party at the time
- Alliance Party
- Date
- 23 June 2026
- Type
- Member's statement
- Business
- Members' Statements
- Heading
- Climate Change: UK Heatwave
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 5636730
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I rise as chair of the all-party group on climate action to address the extreme heatwave that is forecast to hit mainland UK, including a rare red weather warning, with temperatures forecast to be as high as 40°C. It is yet another reminder that climate change is not a distant future risk that we can brush under the carpet. Extreme weather is becoming more frequent, more intense and more disruptive. Heatwaves, flooding, storms, droughts and wildfires are increasingly becoming part of our new normal. While we may, of course, be glad to see a bit of extra sunshine once in a while, the consequences of repeated and intensifying heat are serious. Heatwaves affect public health, particularly for older people, young children and those with underlying conditions. They place pressure on our health service, disrupt transport and infrastructure, reduce productivity and threaten food production, water supplies and biodiversity. If such events continue to grow in severity and frequency, the cost to our communities, our local economy and our natural environment will only rise. Only two weeks ago, the Met Office hosted an event in the Building to discuss climate change impacts. It delivered a clear message that the UK's climate is considerably warmer now than in past decades, with extreme heat becoming more likely as global temperatures rise. That is why climate action cannot continue to be treated as optional or as a side issue. It must be central to everything that we do and all policy that we make. I recognise the work of my colleague the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Andrew Muir, who is using the powers within his remit to help mitigate climate change. That includes supporting policies to reduce emissions from agriculture and land use, as well as wider work to protect and restore our natural environment. He is also engaging across sectors, including at the Met Office event that I have just referenced. Alliance will continue to support ambitious, evidence-based climate action, but meeting that challenge will require the support of all parties. I therefore call on all parties in the House to support Minister Muir in his efforts to back meaningful climate action and to recognise that the extreme heat that we will witness in the coming days is part of a much bigger and more urgent challenge.
386 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
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