Stakeholders push for progress on France’s climate adaptation plans

(Climate Change News, 13 Nov 2019) Politicians, citizens and experts meet to discuss how and why France must invest more heavily in climate adaptation after report warns of major national impacts.

French senators and deputies recently met to discuss the country’s adaptation to a rapidly warming climate, months after a report warned France was ill-prepared to face the “inevitable climate shock”.

The 31 October meeting was the first time representatives of both houses met to discuss adaptation. At the conference, politicians, climate experts, farmers, activists and regular citizens expressed concern that policymakers were not doing enough to prepare for the impacts of climate change.

According to a report published by France’s Senate in June, 2C of warming above pre-industrial levels could deal a profound blow to France by 2050.

The report claims heatwaves are set to strike more often and longer, and wildfires – a phenomenon only experienced in the Mediterranean region – could unfurl across the whole country several weeks a year from 2060.

Drier soil will also make it significantly harder to grow food, while sea level rise threatens to engulf the coast, ski-stations in the Alps and Pyrenees will fall prey to disrepair and Asian tiger mosquitos carrying tropical diseases could rear their heads, it said.

The report warned some regions would have it harder than others, with touristic regions in the mountains or on the coast particularly vulnerable.

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Climate Change News, 13 Nov 2019: Stakeholders push for progress on France’s climate adaptation plans