The sweltering summer of 2022 saw York hit 40.°C, York’s highest temperature on record according to the Met Office. While extreme heat may still feel abnormal in the UK, it’s beginning to become the new normal. For the University of York, the implications of more frequent heat waves stretch far beyond an increase in the sighting of sunbathing students.
A 2018 report from the Met Office warned that heatwaves in the UK are now 30 times more likely than in the pre-industrial era. Furthermore, climate models are predicting that summer temperatures could regularly exceed 35°C by 2050, which could result in York’s campus and student body will facing escalating challenges.
Many university buildings, especially those built before the 2000s, were designed to retain heat during cold winters, not to remove it during summer. Derwent and Vanbrugh, with their concrete heavy architecture, can quickly become heat traps. Even newer buildings like the Piazza, completed in 2018, are energy efficient but not necessarily heat resilient due to its modern insulation and airtight construction which can inadvertently lead to overheating if adequate cooling and ventilation measures aren’t incorporated.
Consequently, the effects of these high temperatures in heat waves are felt by students. Productivity drops in high temperatures. A Harvard study found cognitive performance falls by up to 13% during heatwaves. Issues can therefore arise for students balancing deadlines, dissertations, and summer jobs. Extreme heat is more than an inconvenience, it’s a health and academic risk.
Heat related inequality is an emerging issue. Students in on-campus accommodation are more vulnerable to the effects of extreme heat without fans or access to cooler environments. Those with chronic illnesses or sensory sensitivities may struggle even more.
According to the NHS, heatwaves can increase hospital admissions, especially among people who live in poorly ventilated buildings. That puts many university students directly at risk due to many university students residing in accommodation that may lack adequate ventilation.
The University of York’s campus is home to an impressive array of wildlife, including nesting waterfowl and to mammals like foxes and rabbits. But rising temperatures can disrupt breeding cycles, cause natural habitats to dry up, and increase disease transmission.
Insects such as bees and butterflies, vital to pollination and biodiversity, are also in decline due to heat stress. A global review published in Biological Conservation in 2019 found that 40% of UK insect species are at risk of local extinction because of climate linked habitat loss.
York’s Net Zero by 2030 pledge is a step in the right direction, but climate adaptation needs action. Increasing shaded outdoor study areas, water refill stations, retrofitted ventilation, and emergency heat protocols are a few measures that could make a significant difference.
With 79% of students in a 2024 survey reporting a high level of concern about climate change, universities must respond with both infrastructure and education.
As summer approaches and the frequency of heat waves increases, it seems the University is facing more severe implications suggesting a need for preparation for a hotter and harsher future.