The French government has activated the Orsec Heatwave Plan due to an impending heatwave lasting into next week, affecting several departments under a red heat alert, including Morbihan and Loire-Atlantique. This plan, usually reserved for natural disasters, aims to address extreme weather conditions.
As of Friday, nine departments in western France were on red alert, with an additional 72 on orange alert. The national forecaster, Météo France, indicated that the red alert will expand to 24 departments. This heatwave marks France’s third since May, prompting an increase in wildfires, which have burned twice as much land compared to last year, totaling over 25,000 hectares.
The High Council on Climate has criticized the country’s responses to climate change as inadequate, stating that infrastructure and land use must adapt to the new climate reality. The extreme heat has already resulted in over 2,000 excess deaths in June alone. In response, the government plans to open cooling centers for vulnerable populations and has started delivering air conditioning units to hospitals. High temperatures are expected to persist until Bastille Day on July 14.
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