Heatwaves can intensify climate anxiety, leaving people feeling helpless and fearful, particularly when they worry about children’s safety. The BBC highlights how repeated extreme weather may make people anticipate further danger, turning concern about climate change into significant mental distress.

One Cheltenham mother said temperatures above 30C in her children’s bedrooms left her unable to cope, and her video describing these fears received widespread support online. A 2022 University of Bath study estimated that 4.6% of people in the UK experience climate anxiety, with young people and women considered particularly vulnerable; psychologists say practical action, community support and coping strategies can help counter feelings of doom.