Heatwaves are here…but the public still lacks the tools to handle them

Heatwaves are becoming more frequent, more intense, and longer in duration. The summer of 2025 was the hottest on record for the UK, based on mean seasonal air temperature averaged across the country (Met Office, 2026), bringing four distinct heatwaves defined as prolonged periods of excessive heat (Perkins and Alexander 2013). With the climate crisis accelerating, heatwaves are emerging as a major public-health challenge, escalating threats to wellbeing, health, and survival, and disrupting physical activity, sleep quality, and both physical and mental health (Romanello et al., 2024). This public-health challenge demands better translation of environmental physiology into practice - a primary focus of the CASES Climate Action and Sustainability Advisory Group. As researchers in thermal physiology, we wanted to understand what people know about heatwaves and how they experience them. To explore this, we held nine online focus groups shortly after recent heat events, inviting participants to reflect on their experiences during the most recent and previous notable heatwaves, including the record-breaking July 2022 event when temperatures reached 40.3°C in Coningsby, Lincolnshire. The aim of this article is to reflect on what we learnt from these conversations and what the implications might be for future practice.