The Response: A Story of Fire and Flood in Britain’s New World of Extremes

by David Shukman

Wildfires burning dozens of houses in London suburbs. Downpours so severe they can drown people trapped in basements. Record heatwaves paralysing our railways and hospitals.


This sounds like fiction but it isn’t. The climate is turning far more hostile than many realise, and tragedies are now happening on our doorstep. Even in Britain, one of the richest nations in the world, we aren’t ready. We’re sliding into an age in which the seemingly inconceivable suddenly becomes reality. Unpicking the threads of climate disasters that have already struck reveals a shocking

We could have been prepared but weren’t.
We could have responded to early warnings but didn’t.
Lives are being lost but they could have easily been saved.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. There are plenty of opportunities to protect ourselves, if we only pay attention to the warning signs. The Response is David Shukman’s gripping account of the new extremes that our bodies, buildings and landscapes now face in Britain and around the world — and what we can do about them.

Genres: Climate Change, Science, Nonfiction, Environment

320 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication October 13, 2026

Reviews

[Kat Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is heavy going, but an important read. Reading it during the seemingly endless cycle of heatwaves of 2026 has only deepened my understanding of its message. I've come away from it keener than ever to protect what I love (to paraphrase David Shukman). Thank you for writing this, I'll be recommending this to everyone.

[Piet-Hein Daverveldt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written book that shows the risks of climate change also in countries with until now a temperate climate such as the UK and makes a passionate plea to act. “Protect what you love” resonates with me.