France continued to grapple with an intense heatwave on Tuesday as millions of people endured another sweltering night, while authorities reported that 40 people had drowned across the country over the past five days.Much of France remained under severe heat warnings, with Meteo France placing 54 departments under its highest red alert level. Temperatures are expected to stay exceptionally high both during the day and overnight, affecting nearly half the country.Following a government crisis meeting, French prime minister Sebastien Lecornu said the 40 drowning victims recorded since June 18 were predominantly young people.The prolonged spell of extreme heat has disrupted daily life across the country. Schools, rail services and sporting events continue to face challenges, particularly in a nation where air conditioning is not widely used.Scientists have repeatedly linked the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events to human-driven climate change. The United Nations’ climate agency has warned that the next five years are likely to bring further record-breaking temperatures worldwide.“Sunshine continues to dominate across France, maintaining oppressive and exhausting heat throughout the country,” Meteo France said.The weather agency said temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius were expected in many towns, with the heatwave likely to persist at least until the end of the week.“Further record-breaking temperatures are expected, including some that could surpass all previous records, regardless of the time of year,” Meteo France said.Meteo France described the current episode as an unusually severe heatwave arriving early in the summer, though its full duration remains uncertain. The conditions have drawn comparisons with the devastating heatwave of August 2003, which claimed an estimated 15,000 lives in France, many of them elderly residents living in homes and care facilities without air conditioning.In the aftermath of that disaster, France introduced its national heatwave warning system to improve preparedness and public safety.Europe remains the fastest-warming continent in the world, with temperatures rising at roughly twice the global average rate since the 1980s, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.The World Health Organization’s Europe office said earlier this month that more than 200,000 people had died from heat-related causes across Europe over the past four years, adding that many of those deaths could have been prevented. Prolonged exposure to unusually high temperatures can lead to heat exhaustion and potentially fatal heatstroke.
