It’s hot. Very hot, even, and that’s abnormal for the month of May. The scorching temperatures weighing on France are a new signal of global warming at work on the planet. Thanks to the measurement systems that have been deployed across the continent, we know that 2026 is already part of a trend of rapid increases in average temperatures in Europe. With forecasts until 2030 which invite seriousness and which should impose this subject among the very first priorities of political leaders.
Everyone realizes this on an individual scale: these temperatures degrade well-being in daily life and at work. For many, it is even an aggravating parameter for their state of health. Faced with adversity, treasures of adaptation are deployed and solidarity between neighbors or intergenerational is at work. The government is working on an “endurance plan” for the summer. But these temporary adjustments do not weigh on the fundamental question: that of the reduction of greenhouse gases, which is necessary if we want to slow down and limit a sharp average rise in temperatures.
Long-term commitment
This issue requires a long-term commitment. For around ten years, strategic orientations have been adopted, in France and in Europe, but implementation, too often, stalls. The next presidential election, followed by legislative elections, is an opportunity to be seized. The responsibility for defining a credible and effective trajectory rests in fact on the parties and candidates who will seek universal suffrage in spring 2027. Will they make climate policy a priority? Their commitment will also depend on the intensity of the expectations of their voters, that is to say of all of us, who are currently suffering the effects of the heatwave.
