Heatwaves are becoming the norm. This is what Britain will look like in the year 2052 | Bill McGuire

London remains intensely hot after days of temperatures near 40C, with residents sleeping in improvised shelters to escape heat trapped in homes. Insulation upgrades stalled long ago, leaving most buildings with little protection from infiltrating heat. Electricity is largely renewable and cheaper, yet economic depression and extreme weather reduce affordability, so air conditioning is common but unaffordable to run. Early risers queue for rationed water as dry winters and spring drought drive shortages across the south-east. Rain returns with daily storms, but heavy runoff overwhelms storm drains, causing surface flooding in low-lying areas while potable water remains scarce. Grocery access shifts toward state-run stores with limited affordable supplies as failed harvests and reduced imports trigger rationing of bread and staples.

"From the air, London resembles a colossal refugee camp. Streets, gardens and parks are teeming with tents and cobbled-together shelters, within which the city's residents have spent another uncomfortable night away from the heat traps that their houses and flats have become."

"Almost all the country's electricity is now from renewables, which has brought the cost down, but the relentless onslaught of extreme weather has driven an ever-deepening economic depression across the world. Many now have air conditioning, but can't afford to run it."

"A succession of dry winters and a spring drought have brought water rationing across the south-east of England, adding to the woes of those waking from another sticky, broken sleep. Ironically, there is plenty of rain now, and every day ends with an electric storm and torrential rain."

"Failed harvests at home in the previous two years, and massively reduced food imports, as other nations stricken by extreme weather hold on to what they have, has meant the rationing of bread and other staples. Supermarkets still exist, but they are struggling to keep prices down, and so cater almost entirely to the wealthy."

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