‘We feel like the peasants’: women and low-income families bear brunt of heatwave

Heatwave across western Europe is breaking records, making daily life a challenge for many. Photograph: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock View image in fullscreen Heatwave across western Europe is breaking records, making daily life a challenge for many. Photograph: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock ‘We feel like the peasants’: women and low-income families bear brunt of heatwave As temperatures soar across Europe, cities are struggling to adapt, further exacerbating socioeconomic divisions T he heatwave afflicting western Europe is the worst ever , with the combination of heat and humidity fuelled by the climate crisis making scores of cities feel unliveable. While for some the adverse impacts amount to disturbed sleep and sticky days in the home office, low-income families are often worse affected by cities’ lack of adequate adaptation measures, with women at the sharp end. “[It] throws a grenade into every vulnerability you already have,” says Asad Rehman, chief executive of Friends of the Earth, pointing out that vulnerable or marginalised groups often bear the brunt of climate crisis-based hardship globally. In built-up cities, the socioeconomic aspect of this disparity can be most acute: studies have found that trees can halve the urban heat island effect but green spaces are not distributed equally , meaning poorer communities in densely packed flats and houses tend to suffer most. Rehman cites a study that found tree shade reduced maximum surface temperatures by 19C, while grass reduced them by 24C. For Emily Dickinson, 36, her partner, Danny Swain, 34, and their son, Oliver, 10, a small living space aggravates the impact. Their one-bedroom apartment in Tufnell Park, London, made it impossible for Oliver to study after his school closed on Tuesday, along with more than 1,000 around the country. The family also have no nearby access to green spaces, having to walk in scorching heat to access cooler areas. “It’s been unbearable,” Dickinson says. “At school, he was probably more comfortable than in our living situation.” This is exacerbated for families who face not just having to entertain a child in a hot home, but losing out on work at the same time. “We feel like we’re the peasants that just have to deal with it,” she says. In unexpected circumstances such as this heatwave, expenses like air conditioning and fans add an impossible burden to already stretched finances. While she hopes the government will look at the inaccessibility of expensive air conditioning for low-income families, she is pessimistic about whether any effective change will be made to improve social infrastructure’s ability to cope with extreme heat. View image in fullscreen Travel cancellations and delays have made it difficult for Kimberley Lloyd, pictured with grandson Wyatt, to provide childcare for her working daughter. Photograph: Elodie Clements Arcan Büyük Kahramanı, 43, and his wife Ayten, 41, had no choice but to keep their son, Poyraz, seven, wit