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The Guardian
3 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Europe's heatwave moves east as row erupts in France over air conditioning
The European heatwave has moved east, threatening record temperatures in Germany, as a political row broke out in France over air conditioning. The French far-right leader Marine Le Pen seized a canvassing opportunity before the 2027 presidential election, announcing she would launch a 'grand plan for air conditioning' for the nation if she won power. In parliament, Le Pen, an MP for the Pas-de-Calais in northern France, said 'air conditioning saves lives'. She said there was a problem in France if public services 'are unable to function because of a lack of air conditioning, unlike dozens of countries across the world'. Éric Ciotti, a Le Pen ally, put down a bill in parliament this week calling for 'obligatory air conditioning' for key public spaces. France has a low number of public spaces and private homes with air conditioning compared with neighbouring countries such as Italy. In 2020, 25% of French homes had air conditioning, compared with 14% in 2016, according to the national environment agency, Ademe. The government attacked the far right as ignorant and 'incompetent' for suggesting air conditioning was a solution to the climate crisis. The environment minister, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, said air-conditioned spaces in care homes for elderly people had been obligatory in France for 20 years. She said that, although vulnerable people should be protected from the heat, air conditioning 'must not be installed everywhere' because it generated a rise in temperatures outside and was 'the wrong answer'. The Green leader, Marine Tondelier, attacked Le Pen for an environmental policy limited to 'buying air conditioning units'. Tondelier said there had to be progress made on green spaces in cities and proper insulation of buildings. Meanwhile, Europe continued to grapple with a deadly heatwave that has resulted in record temperatures and several deaths. In Spain, officers from Catalonia's regional police force, the Mossos d'Esquadra, were investigating the deaths of two farm workers whose bodies were found on Tuesday by firefighters tackling a wildfire near the town of Coscó in Lleida province. The wildfire burned through 6,500 hectares (16,000 acres) of land in the north-eastern Spanish region and authorities ordered 18,000 people in the area to remain at home. The regional president, Salvador Illa, urged people to take extra care, warning them not to underestimate the speed and ferocity of wildfires. 'These fires aren't like the ones we used to have,' he said on Wednesday. 'When you find out how they evolve, you get goose bumps. There are really dangerous fires.' The two men died on the same day that a young boy died, apparently from heatstroke, after being left in a car in the Catalan province of Tarragona on Tuesday. France's energy minister reported two deaths with a direct link to the heatwave, with 300 people taken to hospital this week. A 70-year-old lorry driver was found dead inside his vehicle in northern Italy. The man was discovered shortly after 6.30am on Wednesday, parked at a motorway rest area between Sirmione and Peschiera del Garda, in the province of Brescia. A 57-year-old construction worker who was carrying out renovation work at a house in Giuliano di Roma collapsed and died in front of his colleagues. Doctors said the extreme heat was probably to blame for his death. Another man, aged 85, died from dehydration shortly after arriving at the emergency room in Genoa. Sign up to Headlines Europe A digest of the morning's main headlines from the Europe edition emailed direct to you every week day after newsletter promotion Two more people died in Sardinia on Wednesday due to the intense heat. Both were at the beach. In Sardinia, temperatures in recent days have exceeded 40C (104F). Elsewhere in Italy, traffic lights stopped working, people got stuck in lifts, and shops closed early after power cuts in parts of the country on Tuesday afternoon, partly due to the non-stop use of air conditioning and fans putting a strain on electricity grids. The blackouts in Italy were also caused by underground electrical cables overheating, according to the energy provider Enel. In Florence, the power cut affected the city's historic centre, with the La Rinascente department store evacuated as a precautionary measure. A sign reading: 'Black out, see you tomorrow morning at 10am,' appeared on a shop window opposite Florence's cathedral. Homes were without electricity for hours in several neighbourhoods in Rome, Milan, Genoa and Bergamo. Italy's health ministry issued a maximum red alert for heat in 18 cities on Wednesday, meaning the heat is so intense that it poses a risk for young and healthy people too. The extreme temperatures are forecast to last at least until the weekend. The heat is also beginning to take a serious toll on the country's agriculture, scorching fruit and vegetables, straining livestock, and deepening a growing drought crisis in the south. According to Coldiretti, Italy's largest farmers' association, early signs of damage are already being reported from north to south: from blistered melons in Tuscany to milk shortages in Lombardy and water rationing in Sicily. As the heatwave rolled eastwards on Wednesday, Germany was expected to record some of its hottest temperatures of the year so far. Temperatures were expected to surge close to 40C across much of the country on Wednesday, and could break the all-time record for Germany of 41.2C, set in July 2019. Drought-like conditions led more than 40 German districts to restrict water use, including for farmers and gardeners, in addition to dozens of municipalities calling on citizens to conserve water. In Brandenburg state surrounding Berlin, two forest fires broke out on Tuesday, with high temperatures and munitions in the soil complicating the work of firefighters, who by the evening had the situation under control.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
'Unprecedented' alerts in France as blistering heat grips Europe
A record number of heat alerts are in place across France as the country, and other parts of southern and eastern Europe, remain in the grip of soaring temperatures. Some 84 of 96 of France's mainland regions - known as departments - are currently under an orange alert - the country's second highest. France's Climate Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher has called it an "unprecedented" situation. Heat warnings are also in place for parts of Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, the UK and Balkan countries including Croatia. Both Spain and Portugal had their hottest June days on record at the weekend. El Granado in Andalucía saw a temperature of 46C on Saturday, while 46.6C was recorded in the town of Mora in central Portugal on Sunday. Many countries have emergency medical services on standby and are warning people to stay inside as much as possible. Nearly 200 schools across France have been closed or partially closed as a result of the heatwave, which has gripped parts of Europe for more than a week now but is expected to peak mid-week. Education Minister Elisabeth Borne said she was working with regional authorities over the best ways to look after schoolchildren or to allow parents who can to keep their children at home. Several forest fires broke out in the southern Corbières mountain range on Sunday, leading to evacuations and the closure of a motorway. They have since been contained, fire authorities told French media on Monday. Follow our live updates Top tips on how to sleep in the heat Meanwhile, 21 Italian cities are also on the highest alert - including Rome, Milan and Venice, as is Sardinia. Mario Guarino, vice president of the Italian Society of Emergency Medicine, told AFP news agency that hospital emergency departments across the country had reported a 10% increase in heatstroke cases. Parts of the UK could see one of the hottest June days ever on Monday, with temperatures of 34C or higher possible in some parts of England. Much of Spain, which is on course to record its hottest June on record, also continues to be under heat alerts. "I can't sleep well and have insomnia. I also get heat strokes, I stop eating and I just can't focus," Anabel Sanchez, 21, told Reuters news agency in Seville. It is a similar situation in Portugal, where seven districts, including the capital, Lisbon, are on t he highest alert level. Meanwhile, the German Meteorological Service has warned that temperatures could reach almost 38C on Tuesday and Wednesday - further potentially record-breaking temperatures. Countries in and around the Balkans have also been struggling with the intense heat, although temperatures have begun to cool slightly. In Turkey, firefighters continue their efforts to put out hundreds of wildfires that have broken out in recent days. A fire in the Seferihisar district, 50km (30 miles) south-west of the resort city of Izmir, is being fuelled by winds and has already destroyed around 20 homes and some residential areas have had to be evacuated. Wildfires have also broken out in Croatia, where severe heat warnings are in place for coastal areas. Temperatures in Greece have been approaching 40C for several days and coastal towns near the capital Athens last week erupted in flames that destroyed homes - forcing people to evacuate. On Wednesday, Serbia reported its hottest day since records began, while a record 38.8C was recorded in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday. In Slovenia, the hottest-ever June temperature was recorded on Saturday. The temperature in North Macedonia's capital, Skopje, reached 42C on Friday - and are expected to continue in that range. While the heatwave is a potential health issue, it is also impacting the climate. Higher temperatures in the Adriatic Sea are encouraging invasive species such as the poisonous lionfish, while also causing further stress on alpine glaciers that are already shrinking at record rates. While it is hard to link individual extreme weather events to climate change, heatwaves are becoming more common and more intense due to climate change. Sign up for our Future Earth newsletter to keep up with the latest climate and environment stories with the BBC's Justin Rowlatt. Outside the UK? Sign up to our international newsletter here. Spain records temperature of 46C as Europe heatwave continues Southern Europe swelters as heatwave spreads
BBC News
3 days ago
- Climate
- BBC News
France issues 'unprecedented' heat alerts as new week of soaring European temperatures starts
A record number of heat alerts are in place across France as the country, and other parts of southern and eastern Europe, remain in the grip of soaring 84 of 96 of France's mainland regions - known as departments - are currently under an orange alert - the country's second highest. France's Climate Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher has called it an "unprecedented" warnings are also in place for parts of Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, the UK and Balkan countries including Croatia. Both Spain and Portugal had their hottest June days on record at the weekend. El Granado in Andalucía saw a temperature of 46C on Saturday, while 46.6C was recorded in the town of Mora in central Portugal on Sunday. Many countries have emergency medical services on standby and are warning people to stay inside as much as possible. Nearly 200 schools across France have been closed or partially closed as a result of the heatwave, which has gripped parts of Europe for more than a week now but is expected to peak mid-week. Education Minister Elisabeth Borne said she was working with regional authorities over the best ways to look after schoolchildren or to allow parents who can to keep their children at home. Several forest fires broke out in the southern Corbières mountain range on Sunday, leading to evacuations and the closure of a motorway. They have since been contained, fire authorities told French media on Monday. Follow our live updatesTop tips on how to sleep in the heat Meanwhile, 21 Italian cities are also on the highest alert - including Rome, Milan and Venice, as is Sardinia. Mario Guarino, vice president of the Italian Society of Emergency Medicine, told AFP news agency that hospital emergency departments across the country had reported a 10% increase in heatstroke cases. Parts of the UK could see one of the hottest June days ever on Monday, with temperatures of 34C or higher possible in some parts of England. Much of Spain, which is on course to record its hottest June on record, also continues to be under heat alerts."I can't sleep well and have insomnia. I also get heat strokes, I stop eating and I just can't focus," Anabel Sanchez, 21, told Reuters news agency in Seville. It is a similar situation in Portugal, where seven districts, including the capital, Lisbon, are on t he highest alert level. Meanwhile, the German Meteorological Service has warned that temperatures could reach almost 38C on Tuesday and Wednesday - further potentially record-breaking temperatures. Countries in and around the Balkans have also been struggling with the intense heat, although temperatures have begun to cool slightly. In Turkey, firefighters continue their efforts to put out hundreds of wildfires that have broken out in recent days.A fire in the Seferihisar district, 50km (30 miles) south-west of the resort city of Izmir, is being fuelled by winds and has already destroyed around 20 homes and some residential areas have had to be have also broken out in Croatia, where severe heat warnings are in place for coastal in Greece have been approaching 40C for several days and coastal towns near the capital Athens last week erupted in flames that destroyed homes - forcing people to Wednesday, Serbia reported its hottest day since records began, while a record 38.8C was recorded in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday. In Slovenia, the hottest-ever June temperature was recorded on temperature in North Macedonia's capital, Skopje, reached 42C on Friday - and are expected to continue in that the heatwave is a potential health issue, it is also impacting the climate. Higher temperatures in the Adriatic Sea are encouraging invasive species such as the poisonous lionfish, while also causing further stress on alpine glaciers that are already shrinking at record it is hard to link individual extreme weather events to climate change, heatwaves are becoming more common and more intense due to climate change. Sign up for our Future Earth newsletter to keep up with the latest climate and environment stories with the BBC's Justin Rowlatt. Outside the UK? Sign up to our international newsletter here.
