'Our infrastructure was designed for a climate that no longer exists': France's unfinished reckoning with increasing heatwaves
- Posted on June 28, 2026
- By Le Monde
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- 1 min read
'Our infrastructure was designed for a climate that no longer exists': France's unfinished reckoning with increasing heatwaves
In 2003, an unprecedented heatwave struck France in the middle of August while the government was on vacation. It killed 15,000 people. While this public health shock transformed the alert system and the management of heat-related illnesses, France has failed to learn any lessons regarding its necessary adaptation to climate change.
