For people with disabilities, these heatwaves aren't about being uncomfortable they're about being safe | Frances Ryan

Heatwaves have shifted from enjoyable weather to a source of suffering for people with post-viral fatigue, causing less energy, more pain, and worse breathing. Record-high May temperatures in the UK lead many to spend days in bed with fans for relief. Air conditioning use in the UK is rising rapidly, with millions of households installing some form of AC. However, most people who need cooling most are not the ones with access. Wealthy and healthy households can afford built-in systems costing tens of thousands of pounds, while disabled and chronically ill people often rely on low-cost fans. Portable AC units can still be unaffordable for those depending on disability benefits, and renters with disabilities may lack permission to upgrade their homes. The result is a class-based gap in survival during heatwaves.

"Now, the heat means suffering rather than pleasure: less energy, more pain and worse breathing. This has only increased as heatwaves across Europe have soared. I have spent this week of record-high May temperatures in the UK largely in bed, with the blinds drawn and two 5ft-high fans looming over me like security guards at a club no one wants to get into."

"Four million households in the UK now have AC of some sort double the amount there were just three years ago as more of us work from home and temperatures rise. And yet there is a fact that many have not yet wrestled with: the millions of homes now enjoying air conditioning don't house most of the people who really need it."

"While the wealthy and healthy can find tens of thousands of pounds to kit out their houses with built-in AC systems, disabled and chronically ill people who are disproportionately on low wages or out of work long term must make do with an Argos fan. Even the lower-cost portable AC units, which cost hundreds of pounds, are out of reach to many people relying solely on disability benefits."

"It's the British class system with a climate-crisis spin: the more someone requires air conditioning to survive heatwaves, the less likely they are to be able to afford it. The situation will only get tougher as demand and"

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