The Met Office is set to publish its annual report on the State of the UK Climate on Thursday, 27 July after the country went through the hottest June in history.
The reports will address significant meteorological events that have happened as well as look at the ongoing impact of global temperature rises on the UK.
The study comes amid a year of extreme weather and temperatures around the world, and there are still intense heatwaves battering the Mediterranean, wildfires on islands, and heatwaves in the US and China.
In the meantime, the general public can do their own bit for the environment, such as switching to a greener, cheaper energy provider, using low-energy light bulbs, and actively seeking out ways their homes can use less carbon.
If Britain is to meet its pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050, we will have to up our game in everyday life. Cutting back on plastic, eating less meat and meticulously recycling will all help but cutting energy use at home is the biggest move we can make.
1. Switch energy supplier
Our homes account for about 27 per cent of all our carbon dioxide emissions, yet two thirds of us have yet to switch to a renewable energy supplier.
Not only does switching help the environment — green energy firms drive the shift to renewable sources of power — it can reduce your bills, too.
As part of its drive towards renewable energy for all, flat-pack furniture giant Ikea partners with the Big Clean Switch, a “social business” that helps customers switch to cleaner energy at home, saving some households £300 a year by negotiating deals with green suppliers.
Register at bigcleanswitch.org/ikea if you’re interested.
“We wanted to make switching your energy supplier affordable and easy,” says Hege Sæbjørnsen, Ikea’s sustainability manager for the UK and Ireland. “Even if you’re renting, or using gas, it’s so simple to change your provider.”
So far, 55,000 Ikea customers in the UK have been encouraged to save a total of 10,000 tonnes of Co2, with 90 per cent switching from fossil fuel electricity to renewable energy.
For every switch, Ikea receives a commission payment, which will support local community initiatives within each store’s area.
2. Upcycling — even your cheap flatpack
Sæbjørnsen says the company’s priority has changed. “We do not want a throwaway society. We want to switch the mindset and teach people skills so they can mend and repair products, so they can upcycle.”
In Ikea’s newest store, which opened in Greenwich in February, a “learning lab” is teaching customers skills such as how to use drills or customise furniture.
Along with new product ranges that focus on energy efficiency, from water-saving taps to storing food in ways that minimise waste, the company also aims to be renewable energy positive by 2020 — generating more energy than it consumes — and has invested £2.24 billion into renewable energy.
3. Switch to LED
Chris Goodall, climate change expert and author of How To Live A Low-Carbon Life, says switching to a green energy supplier is only the first step to lowering the carbon footprint of your home. “The next, and easiest, thing to do is to switch to 100 per cent LED lighting,” he says.
“In most houses, this will get your money back within months. Focus on the highest-use areas of the house first: kitchen and living room.”
4. Invest in insulation
Improving insulation is another area where you can save a lot of energy. “Make sure your loft insulation is thick enough and seal around all your exterior doors,” he says. “Double glazing really matters."
The charity National Energy Foundation runs the SuperHomes project, with households renovated to use 60 per cent less carbon.
“When we started the project 10 years ago it was very hard to find, but now we have over 200 homes, from ex-council flats to 17th-century cottages,” says Gabby Mallett, director of operations for NEF.
“We’re currently running our HealthyHomes initiative in Ealing, providing home visits. Even small things matter, like radiator foils which reflect heat.
"We also help people find funding for insulation. If you’re the end house in a Victorian terrace you could save 30 per cent of your energy bills with solid wall insulation.”
5. Renovate sustainably
Charles Bettes, managing director of old Street-based architecture firm Gpad London, is concentrating on sustainability.
“In both new builds and refurbishments, energy efficiency is key now,” he says. “Incorporating PV panels, recycling water from sinks and showers to use in the toilet and storing rainwater are all things we’re doing.
"But it can be particularly challenging to achieve carbon neutrality in London where you might be incorporating existing building stock, which can’t achieve the air sealing you need.”
Creating a sustainable home doesn’t mean compromising on style. The Pavilion, a modernist detached home in Blackheath, uses a biodiverse green roof, rainwater harvesting and ground source heat pumps to be one of the first private houses to achieve level five (out of six) on the government code for sustainable homes.
Similarly, the striking glass Slip House in Brixton has triple glazing, a wildflower roof and a mechanical ventilation system.
