Compounding climate challenges for UK businesses

While businesses struggle with direct effects on infrastructure and operations, additional threats like wildfires, workforce health problems, and urban heat build-up create complex resilience challenges. 

As the UK continues to experience record-breaking temperatures, with June 2025 just having entered the record books as one of the warmest Junes the UK has experienced since records began in 1884, these overlapping factors require comprehensive adaptation strategies beyond addressing single heat impacts. 

Wildfires  

Wildfires pose an increasing threat to UK industries during extreme heat events. Recent hot summers have seen multiple wildfire incidents affecting forestry, agriculture, and recreational lands.  

“What we’re seeing is a concerning shift in UK wildfire patterns,” explains Stacey New, Met Office Senior Scientist. “The UK’s annual wildfire season has lengthened over the past decade, with fire weather becoming more widespread and severe. While wildfires primarily affect grasslands, heathlands, and broadleaved woodlands, the economic impact is substantial. The summer of 2022 alone saw a 21% increase in farm fires, resulting in £83.5 million in insurance claims.”  

Met Office projections indicate that days with ‘very high’ fire danger levels could double during summer in England and Wales with 2°C global warming and increase five-fold with 4°C warming (Perry et al., 2022). Most UK fires occur in urban and garden areas (54.4%), improved grasslands (14.4%), or woodlands (14.2%), with UK Fire and Rescue Services tackling approximately 30,000 wildfire incidents annually (Forestry Commission, 2022).   

“The combination of warmer and wetter winters supporting more vegetation growth and hotter, drier summers creating perfect ignition conditions is particularly concerning”, Stacey New adds. “This climate driven cycle amplifies fire risks in a way many businesses are not prepared for.”  

As a cascading impact, wildfires are often initiated during extreme heat events with firefighting efforts placing additional strain on water supply. Climate projections indicate that shifting rainfall patterns will present growing water security challenges for regional providers. This will be compounded by a continued increase in temperature.   

Health and workforce productivity  

Extreme heat significantly reduces workforce productivity while straining healthcare systems. The July 2022 heatwave saw a spike in 999 calls and healthcare services under severe pressure. During the peak of this heat period, an estimated 1,012 excess deaths occurred over just four days.   

“Our research at the Met Office shows that in a 2°C warmer world compared to pre-industrial levels, the UK could lose on average 15 million days of outdoor physical work annually, that’s about 2.5% of the working year,” explains Laura Dawkins, Expert Scientist in Climate Resilience, at the Met Office. “If warming reaches 4°C, this increases dramatically to 6.2% of working days lost.”  

Extreme heat exacerbates existing medical conditions and causes additional health issues such as dehydration and heat stroke. The elderly and very young face particular risks, with studies projecting increases in heat-related mortality throughout the twenty-first century (Arbuthnott and Hajat, 2017).  

Tropical nights and urban heat islands  

Tropical nights (when temperatures don't fall below 20°C) prevent physical recovery from daytime heat stress. Historically rare in the UK, these events are becoming more common. Southern and central England experienced three consecutive tropical nights in July 2022, and Autumn 2023 marked the first time consecutive tropical nights occurred in September. 

“Tropical nights can have a significant impact on people and infrastructure as there is no time to recover overnight,” explains Emily Wallace, Met Office Climate Extremes Fellow.  “As our climate warms, we expect these events to become increasingly common, even extending into early autumn.” 

Cities experience this problem more acutely due to the urban heat island effect, with major urban areas currently several degrees warmer than surrounding rural areas (Ramsey et al., 2024). This amplifies health risks, further reduces productivity, and creates challenges for urban businesses.  

Building resilience 

Organisations developing climate adaptation strategies must consider these interconnected risks rather than tackle heat impacts separately. The Met Office continues to provide crucial support through specialised forecasting, risk assessment frameworks and climate services that help businesses anticipate and prepare for these overlapping challenges. 

For a deeper understanding of how extreme heat specifically affects transportation, energy, agriculture, water resources and construction sectors, and how these sectors can adapt and build resilience, see our article ‘Impact of extreme heat events on industries.’