A cow took to the London Underground to expose the deadly impact of the heatwave

Fossil Free London and Heat Strike campaigners brought a cow to Londoners’ commute during the recent heatwave, holding placards reading ‘too hot for cows and humans’.

Fossil Free London: ‘too hot for cows’

On Sunday 29 June evening, activists wore a pantomime cow costume and made their way onto the Central Line at London Liverpool Street, to bring attention to the deadly heatwave happening now in the UK:

Temperatures on the underground can reach up to 35॰C. In Summer 2022, guidance was issued that forbids livestock haulers transporting animals if the external temperature is more than 30॰C unless in a temperature-controlled vehicle. No equivalent legislation exists for humans.

Met Office scientists have published a new study detailing the increasing likelihood of extreme temperatures in the UK, revealing that the chance of exceeding 40°C in the UK is accelerating at pace. Experts from World Weather Attribution (WWA) have calculated that the heatwaves the UK is experiencing have been made 100 times more likely due to the climate crisis, caused by the burning of oil and gas.

Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Imperial College London have estimated that the first few days of the heatwave alone would cause nearly 600 excess deaths, with vulnerable groups such as older and disabled people at particular risk.

In 2024, the UK government’s climate action plan was deemed unlawful due to insufficient policies in place to protect the UK public from dangerously high heat. Fossil Free London’s action is in support of Heat Strikes demands, a new organisation demanding a national maximum working temperature.

Joanna Warrington, spokesperson for Fossil Free London, said:

Britain is boiling, people are dying, and we know why. The climate crisis isn’t a future event, it’s here now. And our Government is failing to take action to protect us from it. Be it rapidly transitioning away from fossil fuels to prevent more deadly warming, or protecting people from the extreme heat already locked in. If it’s too hot for cows, it’s too hot for us.

Featured image and additional video via Fossil Free London