France, the intense heatwaves and the floods. Features of climate change

Climate change severely affects France mostly, it seems, in the form of heatwaves and floods. In the publication climaterealityproject.org, an article under the heading “how climate change is impacting France,” the heatwave problem is well documented. It is argued, for example, that “heatwaves are becoming more intense and frequent, posing risks to human life and agriculture. The 2019 heat wave brought record temperatures of nearly 46 degrees Celsius (nearly 115 degrees Fahrenheit).” Close to 1500 people died due to the 2019 heatwaves in France and agricultural produce like grapes for wine production, a major export item, were greatly impacted.

Press TV, presstv.ir, writing in February 2024 under the heading “Revealed: Summer 2023 heat killed over 5000 people in France” claims that the “head of France’s public health agency Sante Publique France (SPF), on Thursday revealed that 5167 heat-related deaths were recorded last June, July and August.” That in only three months, June, July and August of 2023, there were over 5,000 deaths in France, caused by heatwaves, is truly alarming.

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, cbc.ca, published an article by the Associated Press in July 30, 2024, under the heading, “Paris Sizzles under heat wave as Olympic athletes and fans try to stay cool,” The article shows that the summer of 2024 in France was one of extreme heat and the impact of the heat on the Olympic’s participants and spectators in Paris, was profound. Olympic “Volunteers use hoses to spray people down and set up misters outside some events,” the Article says, and it quoted the country’s national weather agency as saying, “most of France is under a heatwave warning, with temperatures in Paris and surrounding areas expected to climb to 35 C or higher,” that is, 95 degrees Fahrenheit of higher. The article also Makes clear that the heat problem was compounded by the fact that “air conditioning is far less common in French homes, shops and restaurants than in places like Canada and the United States.” Based on information from France’s national weather Agency, the article also states that “before 1989, such high temperatures were observed on average once every five years, and since 2000, they repeat every year.”

In terms of floods, southern France experienced extraordinary rainstorms, that caused mass floods in may 2025. France24.com writing on May 20, 2025, with the headline “violent, vicious thunderstorms sweep southern France, three dead,” quoted the mayor of Le Lavandou as saying the floods created “scenes of war, roads torn up, bridges torn down,” and that “it was a really violent, vicious, incomprehensible phenomenon” that damaged the sewage system, fresh water supplies and electricity.

France experienced floods in 2024 as well. On March 10, 2024 Floodlist.com, an entity that provides information on floods globally, reported “seven people missing after severe floods in Gard, Ardeche and Var,” all southern local areas in France. Days earlier the storm ‘Monica’ brought extreme rainfall to the area, and according to the article, “the south recorded more than 300 mm of rain in 48 hours” which contributed to mass floodings. Concerning these events, the Prime Minister is reported to have said “our compatriots in Gard and Ardeche are facing very serious flooding and bad weather…I share the pain and concerns of their loved ones. The nation stands united with them,” according to Floodlist.com. It also reported that the Director General of Civil Security and Crisis Management in France announced that “over 400 firefighters and 4 helicopters have been deployed to carry out search and rescue operations and assist flood victims.”

Extensive floods from rainstorm also hit France in November 2023, and again in late December 2023 based on reports by floodlist.com, published January 4, 2024. This time these were in Pas-de-Calais, an area in the northern part of the country. With respect to the December event It says “the latest report from the government of Pas-de-Calais department…at least 1299 homes have been damaged, some of them severely, promoting the fire departments and local authorities to evacuate a total of 371 people.” Concerning the November floods it states that “as many as 1490 people were evacuated from their homes in pas-de-Calais department in the first 2 weeks of November 2023 after heavy rain from consecutive storms caused rivers to rise. Firefighters carried out over 2300 interventions.” A financial assistance of 50 million Euros were donated by the French President to the affected local municipalities, according to the report by Floodlist.com.

The latest report from ember-energy.org on 10 April 2025, concerning France and energy use in its electricity generation contends that 94% of France’s electricity production is done by clean energy. Which is a remarkable amount and among the highest, if not the highest, in the world. Of the 94%, 68% was from nuclear power, which is extremely high, given the global lack of emphasis on nuclear use. Solar and hydropower, renewable energies, together was roughly 12%. Only 6% of France’s electricity was generated by fossil fuels in 2024, as reported by Ember Energy. Meaning that carbon emissions from France’s electricity generation is indeed negligible. It should be noted that nuclear energy is considered to be clean energy but not renewable energy. Like renewable energy It does not emit carbon dioxide, but unlike renewable energy its manufactured from resources that are finite.

The use of Electric Vehicles (EV’s) in France is increasing at a favorable and steady pace. As clearborder.co.uk, an international business consulting company in the UK tells it. There are probably three main reasons for this, “the shift to electric cars in France has been driven by new government regulations and initiatives, and the strategic shift made by Automotive companies,” as well as “French consumers are also becoming more environmentally conscious and seeking sustainable transportation options. This change in preferences has led to a growing demand for electric vehicles.” Clearborder mentions that Government subsidies and other financial assistance like tax exemptions positively help the EV industry, as well as France’s Crit’Air Sticker Policy. This policy uses stickers on vehicles to classify them based on the amount of carbon they emit, high emission vehicles can be denied entry to urban and other areas during times of high pollution levels in the atmosphere. According to Clearborder Car manufacturers are contributing to EV’s growth by enhancing EV production, including the production of attractive diverse models and fostering industry collaborating in enhancing industry necessities like vehicle charging facilities. According to Clearborder “in 2024 the overall market share of EV’s in France reached 26.2%…France falls only behind Norway (95%), Sweden (60%), and Netherlands (30%),” in Europe.

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