Heatwave and Wildfires... France Recommends 82 Measures, Says "Air Conditioning Is Not a Cure-All"

French Climate Council Calls for a Step-Change in Policy Scale
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Down 2.1%... "Pace Must Double"
7,800 Hectares Lost to Wildfires in One Week—Surpassing Monthly Total

As France experiences its third heatwave of the year, concerns have been raised that the government's pace of carbon reduction is slowing, and that some environmental policies are even being rolled back.

Citizens of Paris, France, getting wet to escape the heatwave. Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

According to Yonhap News on July 9 (local time), citing the French daily Le Monde, "The French High Council on Climate (HCC) stated in its eighth annual assessment report that the current climate policies are insufficient to achieve the 2050 carbon neutrality goal and to prevent a rapid worsening of climate risks." The government is required to provide an official response to the recommendations presented by the council within six months.

According to the council, France's greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by 34% since 1990 and by 22% since 2015, but the pace of reduction has recently slowed. In 2024, emissions decreased by only 3%, following a 2.1% decline last year. In the first quarter of this year, emissions dropped by 4.8%, surpassing the annual target of 4% for the first time, though this was largely attributed to mild weather. The council noted, "The reduction rate needs to at least double, reaching more than 4% per year for 2026 to 2028."

In particular, it was pointed out that the function of forests, France's primary carbon sink, continues to weaken. Due to the effects of climate change and logging, the ability of forests to absorb carbon dioxide is steadily declining. In response, the council emphasized the need for "a step-change in the scale of policies" for both greenhouse gas reduction and climate adaptation, and put forward 82 recommendations.

For heatwave countermeasures, the recommendations included expanding access to cool public spaces and free water play facilities, as well as establishing standards for halting work when temperatures exceed certain thresholds. Regarding air conditioning—a topic of growing debate—the council stated that while it is necessary in specific places such as hospitals and schools, it should not be indiscriminately distributed everywhere. Instead, it recommended expanding urban green spaces, installing shades, distributing window shutters, building local cooling networks, and supplying fixed cooling facilities and heat pumps capable of both heating and cooling, rather than portable air conditioners.

However, the council also warned that no adaptation policy will be sufficient if greenhouse gas emissions continue to accumulate. France's average temperature has already risen by 2.2 degrees Celsius since the early 20th century and by 2.9 degrees during the summer. If the current global climate policies remain unchanged, it is projected that by 2100, the average temperature will rise by up to 4 degrees Celsius and the number of heatwave days will increase by tenfold compared to now.

On this day, heatwave orange warnings were issued for 72 out of 96 départements (metropolitan administrative divisions) in mainland France, and the meteorological agency forecast daytime highs of 35 to 39 degrees Celsius nationwide, with some areas reaching up to 41 degrees. The dry weather is also exacerbating wildfire damage. According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), 7,800 hectares were burned in France alone between July 1 and July 8 this year. This has already surpassed the area affected in the entire month of July last year (4,400 hectares).

The heatwave is not a problem unique to France. This heat has affected all of Europe, including Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Greece, and Italy has issued the highest-level warnings in major cities such as Rome and Milan. As wildfires spread across southern Europe, the European Union (EU) Commission deployed its largest-ever firefighting force, including firefighting aircraft. During the previous heatwave in June, it was estimated that approximately 1,000 more people died in France than usual.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.