The National Heat Risk Commission is an independent commission established to help the UK prepare for the growing risks of extreme heat.

It is based at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and is chaired by Emma Howard Boyd CBE. It brings together evidence and expertise to assess how rising temperatures are affecting people, places, infrastructure, public services and the economy, and to recommend practical action to strengthen national heat resilience. The Commission is independent of government and LSE.

Extreme heat is no longer a distant or occasional risk. It is already affecting health, homes, transport, energy, workplaces, nature and emergency services across the UK. The impacts are not felt equally: older people, young children, pregnant women, people with underlying health conditions, outdoor workers, those living in poorly ventilated homes, and communities with limited access to green space face some of the greatest risks.

The Commission will examine how the UK can better protect lives and livelihoods in a warming climate, while supporting economic resilience and climate goals. Its work will focus on the systems that shape everyday life, including housing, health, infrastructure, planning, workplaces, food, nature and public communication, and on the national leadership needed to manage heat as a strategic resilience risk.

The Commission will publish an interim report in summer 2026 and a final landmark report in summer 2027. Its recommendations will set out a roadmap for better homes, better living and better working in a hotter climate.

To contact the Commission, please send a direct message via the National Heat Risk Commission LinkedIn page.