Green Party leader Zack Polanski urged Andy Burnham to implement stronger climate action measures following a record-breaking summer of extreme heat [1].

The demand comes as the United Kingdom faces increasing vulnerability to volatile weather patterns that have already resulted in fatalities. The call for preparation highlights a growing political rift over how quickly the government must adapt infrastructure to prevent further loss of life during environmental crises.

Polanski said the climate crisis is the biggest threat to Britain since the Second World War [3]. He focused his warnings on the immediate dangers posed by rising temperatures, noting that people are dying from heatwaves and wildfires [1].

This summer has seen unprecedented weather across the region. Europe experienced a record-breaking summer of extreme heat [1], while the UK recorded its driest July on record [1]. Polanski said he is sounding the alarm in the wake of these recent heatwaves [3].

The Green Party leader specifically targeted the response of the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, calling for more aggressive preparations to protect the public from future heat events. Polanski said the current level of readiness is insufficient to handle the scale of the threat posed by the warming climate [1].

His warnings emphasize the link between the lack of urban cooling infrastructure and the increase in heat-related deaths. By framing the crisis as a national security threat comparable to a global war, Polanski aims to shift the legislative priority toward immediate climate adaptation, and mitigation strategies [3].

“People are dying from heatwaves and wildfires.”

The framing of climate change as a wartime-level threat indicates an escalation in political pressure on local and national leaders to move beyond long-term targets and toward immediate emergency preparedness. By linking the driest July on record to actual fatalities, the Green Party is attempting to move the climate debate from an abstract environmental issue to a direct public health and safety crisis.