Wildfires have scorched twice as much land in France so far this year as in the same period last year, an official said on Friday. The European nation is facing its third heatwave since May, with a part of western France under the more severe heat warning on Friday and fires raging in several parts of the country over the past week.
Record Burn Area and Fire Outbreaks
Director general of civil security Julien Marion reported that since the beginning of the year, France has recorded a little over 8,000 fire outbreaks, affecting an estimated burnt area of more than 25,000 hectares. That is equivalent to nearly 62,000 acres or more than 35,700 football pitches. “That is roughly double what had been recorded last year by the same date,” he added.
Heatwave and Climate Change Context
France is experiencing its third heatwave since May, with high temperatures expected to continue until Bastille Day on July 14, according to Meteo-France. The increasing frequency of such extreme weather events in recent decades has been linked by scientists to man-made climate change. France’s High Council for Climate on Thursday warned that the country’s policies to tackle global warming were “insufficient.” “We are entering a dangerous zone,” warned one of its experts, Valerie Masson-Delmotte. “Our infrastructure, our land-use planning, our ecosystems, and the management of our economic activities and sociocultural practices have evolved based on a climate that no longer exists.”
Excess Deaths and Government Response
The country recorded more than 2,000 excess deaths during the June heatwave, and 300 during the high temperatures in late May, according to official figures. The government on Friday said it would be opening so-called “cooling centers” for vulnerable members of the population such as the elderly or homeless. Six thousand of the planned 30,000 air conditioning units promised to the country’s hospitals have been delivered and installed, government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon said on Friday. France has more than 2,900 health facilities, according to figures from last year.
