This week, the United Kingdom made headlines as temperatures approached 34°C—an unusually hot day by British standards. As media outlets captured scenes of people crowding beaches, fanning themselves in cafes, and splashing through park fountains, one thing was clear: this was not a typical summer.

But while British infrastructure bends under the pressure of a single day of heat, the question must be asked—what happens in places where 34°C is considered a “cool breeze”? What about the countries where 48°C is the new norm? What happens to the millions living there with no air conditioning, no power stability, and no voice in global climate decisions?

Let’s talk about Pakistan.

The Global Heat Divide

In the UK, heat warnings are now a routine part of summer. As the Met Office raised heat alerts this week, people were advised to hydrate, avoid strenuous activity, and check on the elderly. Emergency response teams were placed on alert, and health agencies warned of potential deaths due to heatstroke.

Yet while British headlines call 34°C “brutal,” cities like Jacobabad, Sukkur, and Dadu in Pakistan have faced temperatures between 47°C and 51°C—not for hours, but for days. During the peak of the 2024 and 2025 South Asian heatwaves, Karachi’s morgues ran out of space. Over 568 bodies were received in just three days in June 2024. In May 2025, parts of Sindh and Punjab recorded daily highs that were hotter than most ovens.

No electricity. No fans. And no international media coverage.

A Crisis of Infrastructure, Not Just Weather

Why does 34°C bring London to a crawl, but 50°C doesn’t even make global headlines from Lahore?

It’s about infrastructure. The UK is simply not built for heat. Homes are designed to keep heat in, not out. Public transport lacks air conditioning. Hospitals quickly fill up, and heat-related deaths spike. It’s a crisis—but it’s new.

In contrast, Pakistan has been enduring this climate assault for decades. The difference? They don’t have the money to protect themselves. Over 40% of Pakistan’s population lives below the poverty line, and climate resilience is a dream, not a plan.

In 2022, floods displaced over 33 million Pakistanis. Now, in 2025, they face record-breaking heatwaves, all while managing power outages, food inflation, and political instability. Yet their suffering remains underreported.

The Human Cost of Every Degree

Let’s be clear: heat kills. According to the World Health Organization, extreme heatwaves cause more deaths annually than any other climate disaster. In Europe’s 2022 heatwave, over 61,000 people died. The UK is now catching up in death tolls, but countries like Pakistan have always been at the frontlines.

Children faint in schools. Elderly people die alone in tin-roof homes. Farmers collapse in the fields. Hospital workers struggle with failing generators. These are not distant tragedies—they are the daily cost of global inaction.

And as temperatures rise, those who contributed the least to global emissions are paying the highest price.

The Climate Isn’t Equal—But It’s United

Climate change is not just a weather issue—it’s a justice issue. While the UK braces itself for one week of heat, countries like Pakistan are living inside climate collapse year-round. Yet global climate finance still doesn’t prioritize adaptation in South Asia, Africa, or the Middle East.

Here’s a thought: if 34°C feels like a crisis in the UK, imagine what 51°C feels like with no clean water, no AC, and no media attention. That's not just uncomfortable—that’s a death sentence.

The disparity is moral, not just meteorological.

So, Where Do We Go From Here?

There are three things we must demand—urgently and globally:

  1. Climate Financing for the Global South
    Rich countries, including the UK and U.S., must fulfill their broken promises of climate aid for vulnerable nations. It’s not charity—it’s repayment for centuries of emissions.

  2. Climate-Ready Infrastructure
    Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and others must be supported in redesigning urban and rural systems—from hospitals and homes to roads and water networks—to survive rising temperatures.

  3. Media Equity
    The media must stop treating heat as a novelty in the West and a footnote in the East. Heat is a global story—and people in Karachi deserve as much coverage as those in Cornwall.

Final Thought: 34°C is a Warning, Not a Punchline

If a single summer day of 34°C in Britain makes headlines, it should not be met with mockery—it should be a wake-up call. It means the climate crisis has reached the homes of those who once ignored it.

And if we don’t take it seriously now, then what Pakistan is living through today may be our shared future tomorrow.

The planet doesn’t care where you live. When it gets hot enough, no wall is high enough, and no wallet is thick enough.

The heat is here. Who survives it depends on what we do next.