French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is to head a ministerial crisis meeting today in Marseille focusing on France’s response to recent – and future – heatwaves.
The meeting will take place at around 16:15 and cover France’s preparations for further heatwaves this summer, as forecasters predict rising temperatures and have all but confirmed a third heatwave next week.
It will also cover preparations for wildfires, as major blazes broke out across the south of France yesterday.
French President Emmanuel Macron said in a cabinet meeting on Wednesday (July 1) that France should take advantage of the period between the two heatwaves to make preparations.
France will “anticipate major issues such as wildfires, water usage, and the consequences for the agricultural sector,” a government spokesperson said.
Following Thursday’s meeting, Mr Lecornu will attend a crisis meeting on the impact of the heatwave on France’s agriculture sector on Friday.
The agriculture ministry announced cash-flow loans for farmers and livestock rearers impacted by the heatwaves.
Government criticised for heatwave inaction
Opposition parties have criticised the government for its response to record-breaking heatwaves in May and June, led by the Greens who plan to table a motion of no confidence against Mr Lecornu.
“Under your government, the heatwave has turned into political violence,” said Green MP Cyrielle Chatelain to Mr Lecornu during a round of parliamentary questions on Tuesday (June 30).
She criticised the government for “its lack of preparedness – both for the heatwave we have just experienced and, above all, for the one that is coming.”
The motion will be backed by the far-left La France Insoumise but it will not pass, as the far-right Rassemblement National has indicated it will not back the Greens (their combined votes are required to attain the majority needed for the vote to succeed).
“Schools are a disaster, hospitals are a disaster... There is a lot to be done. The government hasn't done it, and our role as parliamentarians is to scrutinise the government's actions. A motion of no confidence is obviously the right move, both to table and to vote for,” said La France Insoumise coordinator Manuel Bompard on Wednesday (July 1).
Other groups have criticised the government for reducing available ‘Green Funds’ (fonds vert) aimed at reducing the impact of climate change in France.
The Greens also alleged that summer heatwaves could cause up to 10,000 additional deaths in France this year, with MP Sandrine Rousseau believing “there has probably been 10,000 deaths” already.
Mr Lecornu reacted angrily to this, saying “Where did you get these figures? These are false… This is the first time I’ve lost my temper [during my tenure].”
Official figures are not yet known – and will not be known for several weeks as delayed deaths from the heat may still be taking place and full confirmation is awaited – but Santé publique France initially estimated around 1,000 additional deaths due to the June heatwave.
For its part, the government has defended its actions and criticised the left for attempting to destabilise the government during a crisis.
“There is a government managing crises, and facing that government are political forces that perpetuate this crisis, notably by tabling a no-confidence motion,” said government spokesperson Maud Bregeon.
“Do we need to improve? Obviously. Are more resources needed? Obviously; we are working on it. And a no-confidence motion certainly won't stop the progression of climate change, which is difficult for our fellow citizens, overnight.”
Mr Lecornu praised “the entire chain” of command of France’s emergency response plan and the heatwave measures introduced in the country to avoid a repeat of 2003’s catastrophic heatwaves.
The systems “held up,” during the June heat, Mr Lecornu said, as the country experienced three record-breaking days of heat exceeding 2003’s temperatures.
Is France prepared for a summer of heatwave chaos?
The recent heatwaves have led several public services to state their concern about their readiness for further heatwaves, particularly during the peak summer months.
State rail operator SNCF is “preparing to handle” summer travellers throughout the school holiday period (beginning on July 4, the expected start of a new heatwave), said head of the state rail operator Jean Castex to France Inter yesterday.
However, the SNCF cannot “guarantee 100% smooth operations,” he added, with the majority of summer departures on the rails scheduled between July 3 and July 10 and coinciding directly with the expected heatwave.
In the June heatwave, the operator cancelled hundreds of journeys, as the network suffered from the powerful heat but also increased flexibility on reimbursements and ticket exchanges for passengers.
“Maintenance workshops, track monitoring, and overhead line inspections," are all taking place before the expected heatwave and railway workers are "working at night in intense heat so that we can give our absolute best,” Mr Castex said.
"We also have to state the obvious: in a truly exceptional situation, one cannot expect completely normal service.”
Healthcare authorities however have raised concerns about the impact of the heat on France’s healthcare system.
“Without a massive investment plan, we will be unable to adapt our facilities to climate change,” said head of the French public hospital federation (Fédération Hospitalière de France, FHF) Zaynab Riet in a press conference on Wednesday.
Hospitals across France reported “high temperatures in wards, broken cooling systems, overheating equipment, elevators that have broken down or are at risk of failure, overheated data centers, and facilities ill-suited to repeated heatwaves,” she added.
Annual public hospital investment currently stands at around €5.5 billion, said the FHF, but this needs to rise to between €7 billion and €9 billion to “maintain infrastructure, modernise equipment, and sustainably adapt hospitals and nursing homes to climate change,” said Mrs Riet.
This funding can come in part from €1.1 billion in financing held in reserve from the social security budget, as well as €1 billion in savings from a “1% reduction in prescriptions for medicines and medical devices, both in outpatient care and in hospitals.”
Although installation of air conditioning is important, it is not a priority.
“Areas that need air conditioning should have it when necessary [but] before installing air conditioning, priority investments are required (such as blackout shutters and blinds, insulation, sunshades, air circulators, and greenery),” the federation says.
During the heatwave, SAMU (emergency medical services) activity increased by between 10% and 75% across France.
