The summer of 2022 was a record-breaking season, marked by several heatwaves, forest fires and severe drought. These extreme weather events seem to have increased awareness of climate change among the French. But will it be followed by concrete action?
Heatwaves, fires, drought, violent storms… The summer of 2022 broke all records. With temperatures 2.3 degrees higher than normal for the season, it was the second hottest summer recorded in mainland France since 2003, according to Météo France on 30 August. The French national weather service also warned that these summers could become the norm in the coming decades.
That same day, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, the minister of energy transition, appeared on France Inter and pointed the finger at “major meteorological hazards”, droughts and mega-fires, as well as the “health consequences” that they cause.
“The experts are very clear on the subject, (…) the summer of 2022 is probably the coolest you have experienced or will experience in the next 20 years,” she said.
In recent days, several polls have revealed that more French people are making the link between this summer’s extreme events and global warming, that they fear being personally affected and that they are ready to adapt their behaviour.
According to a YouGov poll for HuffPost, nearly 9 out of 10 French people see the link between extreme weather events and global warming, and are ready to adapt their behaviour. The Odoxa Institute conducted a poll for France Bleu which reveals that more than 7 out of 10 French people (71%) fear being personally affected by climatic events.
2003 Déjà vu?
This past summmer, global warming became a reality for the French, who are increasingly expressing their anxiety about extreme weather changes.
They have certainly not been spared. This summer, France experienced three heatwaves, one of which was at the start of June; the drought was aggravated by…
Source : france24
