French government unveils measures to combat extreme summer weather

"Anticipate, inform, protect": the French government has presented a 15-point plan to deal with the risk rising temperatures after the summer of 2022 was marked by several extreme heatwaves.

While presenting the government's heatwave plans this Thursday, France's Minister for Ecological Transition, Christophe Béchu declared: "We need to change gear when it comes to adapting to climate change."

"On the one hand, this plan is based on the standardisation and systemic implementation of existing procedures, and on the other, new practices," he explained.

The minister added that the effects of global warming are already being felt in France and an increase in the frequency and intensity of heatwaves between now and 2050 is inevitable."

Béchu underlined that heatwaves affect "all aspects of our economy and daily life," such as health, work, social life, natural resources, forests, and so on.

Heatwaves by 2050

Since 2000, heatwaves in France have been five times more frequent than they were before 1989, and they will be twice as frequent in 30 years' time.

In this respect, 2022 highlighted this trend with more than 1,500 local heat records broken, 33 days of extreme temperatures between the beginning of June and the end of August, and the earliest heatwave ever recorded between 15 and 19 June.

To tackle the problem, the French government is launching a campaign aimed at the general public, outlining the work that needs to be done and the behaviour that should be adopted in the home, as well as "good housekeeping" practices to prevent drowning and look after pets.

A survey of cool spots and fountains in communes will be carried out and presented to the public, and prevention messages will be sent out on transport and by text message in the event of extreme weather.

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Emergency measures, registers and guidelines

The electricity network operators RTE and Enedis will be stepping up their monitoring and response resources from this summer – in particular by deploying emergency teams during heat waves and droughts to avoid power cuts.

Vulnerable people will be encouraged to sign up to community registers – that have been in place since a deadly heatwave in 2003 in which approximately 14,000 people died – so that they can be informed and helped in the event of excessive heat.

Annual checks will also be carried out on school buildings, particularly in exam halls.

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As far as businesses are concerned, a guide to measures and work designed to improve the temperature in offices will be introduced, while labour inspections will be stepped up in the sectors most vulnerable to heat-related risks.

Finally, a survey of cultural and sporting events – which are also subject to the vagaries of the weather – will be carried out in each département to encourage them to adapt their organisation in the event of a heatwave.

If extreme weather presents itself, regional the prefects may have to postpone or cancel some events.

Christophe Béchu concluded, "This year, we are not going to wait for a heatwave to arrive before issuing instructions and good practices."