Erick Burgueño Salas
Research expert covering climate change and the water industry
Climate change in France - statistics & facts
Year after year, the effects of climate change in France have become more palpable, with temperature records being broken more frequently. For instance, 2023 was the second warmest year across French territory since records started, with the previous year being the hottest so far. In fact, eight of the ten warmest years in France have all been recorded in the past decade, a developing trend already affecting the region's weather patterns and causing extreme events like heat and cold waves, flooding, and drought, among others.
The more frequent and violent catastrophes take a toll on the French economy. Since the beginning of the century, annual insured losses caused by natural disasters have surpassed the three-billion-euro threshold three times. More drastic measures will have to be put in place in the future to protect the lives of French residents as well as to secure the infrastructure that could cost millions to restore if lost.
The French strategy against climate change also includes a plan to adapt to the changes already happening. The third National Climate Change Adaptation Plan (PNACC-3) aims for an effective adaptation by the middle of the century, with a higher temperature rise tolerance than the previous version. The new plan is due to be published in 2024 and it will focus on health, agriculture, the economy, the continuity of infrastructure and essential services, and the protection of natural environments.
The cost of a changing climate
Along with raging temperatures, the number of severe weather disasters across France has also increased in recent years, affecting the lives of thousands of people. Only in 2021, eight severe weather disasters hit the European country, most of them flooding events. Such catastrophes bring not only economic losses but also directly disrupt the wellbeing of French society. Around 45,000 internal displacements of people were reported in 2022, making it the year with the highest number of displacements due to weather events in the past 15 years. Wildfires were the main cause for the high number of displacements in that year, with the fires of Gironde in July and August the most impactful. In 2022, more than 66,000 hectares of land burned in France due to wildfires, the largest area in the past decade.The more frequent and violent catastrophes take a toll on the French economy. Since the beginning of the century, annual insured losses caused by natural disasters have surpassed the three-billion-euro threshold three times. More drastic measures will have to be put in place in the future to protect the lives of French residents as well as to secure the infrastructure that could cost millions to restore if lost.
France’s climate action plan
The Law of Energy and Climate was adopted in France in 2019 with the aim to reach carbon neutrality in 2050 by reducing emissions by a factor of six compared to 1990 levels. To achieve such ambitious targets, the national strategy on low carbon (SNBC) was enforced in 2020, providing guidelines for implementing the transition to a low carbon economy, and thus reducing France’s carbon footprint. Since 2020, the country’s investments to fight against climate change have increased 40 percent, surpassing 100 billion euros in 2023.The French strategy against climate change also includes a plan to adapt to the changes already happening. The third National Climate Change Adaptation Plan (PNACC-3) aims for an effective adaptation by the middle of the century, with a higher temperature rise tolerance than the previous version. The new plan is due to be published in 2024 and it will focus on health, agriculture, the economy, the continuity of infrastructure and essential services, and the protection of natural environments.
