Beyond the heatwave: why UK climate warnings must be local, practical and accountable

# What happened this summer

Record heat, wildfires, excess deaths, hosepipe bans and disrupted schools made the climate crisis immediate for many people in the UK. Those events created a rare window for policymakers and communicators to engage the public on how to prepare for future extremes.

# The communication problem

Second, confidence in political institutions is low. An Ipsos poll this summer found more than a third of Britons said the Labour government had done a "bad job" on the climate since 2024. That weak trust shaped reactions to government actions such as a mid-August "severe alert" for wildfire risk, which some treated as overreach while others said the government should focus on decarbonising.

# What people want

# How to make messages cut through

• Make risks local and tangible: Communities understand and act on risks tied to familiar places and routines. The strong reaction to the felling of the Sycamore Gap tree shows the emotional attachment people have to immediate environments.

• Frame actions across values: Climate Outreach recommends framings that appeal across political and values divides. Greener Henley used segmentation research to tailor messages that resonate with different local groups while avoiding alienating language.

• Combine mitigation and adaptation with concrete steps: Rather than abstract categories, explain how a policy or behaviour reduces harm now and lowers future emissions.

# Examples and implications

The wildfire alert episode illustrates mixed public response to centralised warnings when trust is low. The water campaign shows how well-meaning guidance can backfire if it appears to pass the burden entirely to consumers. Local charities and researchers who map community values and produce cross-cutting messages offer a model for rebuilding acceptance of both immediate and longer-term climate policies.

# Bottom line

The summer's extreme events created an opening for climate engagement. To use it, communicators must make risks locally relevant, offer practical steps tied to clear institutional responsibilities, and tailor messages that cross political divides. Doing so will increase the chance that understanding turns into support for both adaptation measures and mitigation policies.