Executive Summary
Extreme heat is becoming one of England’s most significant climate risks. While England has strengthened preparedness through the Adverse Weather and Health Plan (AWHP) and Heat Health Alerts (HHAs), persistent gaps remain in public awareness, risk perception, and behavioural responses to warnings.
This policy brief draws on a mixed-methods study comprising a national survey of 1,097 adults in England and semi-structured interviews with 29 heat risk communicators. The findings reveal a persistent warning–behaviour gap: despite widespread exposure to HHAs, many people did not take protective action because of low perceived risk, poor recognition of alerts, and uncertainty about appropriate responses. Interviews further showed that heat risk communication is primarily focused on institutional coordination and emergency preparedness, with comparatively less emphasis on public engagement, behaviour change, and addressing structural drivers of vulnerability, such as housing conditions and socioeconomic inequalities.
As heatwaves become more frequent and severe, strengthening England’s resilience will require moving beyond a reliance on HHAs alone. This means strengthening risk communication while embedding longer-term adaptation measures, particularly housing adaptation, into national heat resilience policy. Without addressing the structural drivers of vulnerability, England’s response to extreme heat will remain reactive and insufficient for a warming climate.
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Suggested Citation: Khosravi, M., Assan, A. and Madani, K. (2026). Strengthening England’s Heat Resilience: From Warnings to Long-Term Adaptation. 海角社区 Institute for Water, Environment and Health (海角社区-INWEH), Richmond Hill, Canada. doi:
