France faces heatwave, ozone pollution, and economic strain

France is bracing for another day of intense heat as a significant heatwave continues across the country, accompanied by an ozone pollution episode in the Ile-de-France region. The prefect of police has urged citizens to postpone travel if possible and reduce vehicle speeds to mitigate the pollution.

This marks the third heatwave of the summer, following an exceptionally intense period in late June and another long stretch from July 4 to 19. These extreme heat events are becoming more frequent, intense, and widespread due to human-induced climate change. Météo-France forecasts a slight temperature decrease over the weekend.

“

The first of our priorities remains, obviously, the supply of drinking water which is already under tension in several territories, more precisely in 50 departments today.

Economically, the repeated heatwaves could inflict damages estimated between 10 to 15 billion euros, according to the Minister of Ecological Transition, Monique Barbut. The disruptions are multifaceted, affecting sectors like energy production. EDF's nuclear reactor fleet, for instance, reached a record number of "environmental" unavailability on Wednesday due to high temperatures and jellyfish influx at the Gravelines plant.

The persistent heat and dryness have also put severe strain on water resources. "Our primary priority remains, obviously, the supply of drinking water, which is already under pressure in several territories, more precisely in 50 departments today," stated the minister. Over 40,000 people are reportedly affected by tap water outages. The situation for small rivers is described as the "most critical ever recorded at this time of year," with 43% of them experiencing flow ruptures or drying up.

“

The situation of small watercourses is the most critical ever recorded at this period of the year, with 43% of them, i.e. nearly 1370 watercourses, presenting flow ruptures or drying up.