Experts have pointed out that France, currently suffering from summer heatwaves, is seeing a slowdown in the pace of government carbon reduction efforts, with some environmental policies even regressing.

The High Council on Climate (HCC) in France stated in its annual assessment report released on July 9 local time that current climate policies are "insufficient" to achieve the 2050 carbon neutrality goal and prevent a rapid worsening of climate risks, according to the daily newspaper Le Monde.

According to the council, France's greenhouse gas emissions have decreased by 34% since 1990 and 22% since 2015, but the pace of reduction has slowed recently.

Emissions decreased by 3% in 2024 and by only 2.1% last year.

While emissions were provisionally estimated to have decreased by 4.8% in the first quarter of this year, this was largely attributed to mild weather conditions.

The council also identified the continued weakening of the functions of forests, France's primary carbon sinks, as a problem.

It noted that the ability of forests to absorb carbon dioxide is increasingly declining due to the effects of climate change and logging.

Consequently, the council urged a "step-change in the scale of policy" for both greenhouse gas emission reductions and climate change adaptation.

The council proposed a total of 82 recommendations to increase the climate change resilience of society and the economy.

Measures against heatwaves included expanding cool public spaces and free water play facilities, as well as establishing criteria for suspending work when temperatures exceed a certain level.

Regarding the installation of air conditioners, which has been a subject of controversy for years, Professor Paul Leadley of the council emphasized, "They are necessary in specific places like hospitals and schools, but they should not be indiscriminately deployed everywhere."

Instead, the council recommended expanding urban green spaces, installing awnings, providing window shutters, building district cooling networks, and promoting fixed cooling systems and reversible heat pumps over portable air conditioners.

However, the council warned that if greenhouse gas emissions continue to accumulate, no adaptation policy will be sufficient.

France's average temperature has already risen by 2.2 degrees since the beginning of the 20th century.

If current global climate policies are maintained, the average temperature is expected to rise by 4 degrees by 2100, and the number of heatwave days is projected to increase to 10 times the current level.

In France, which is experiencing its third heatwave of the year, orange heatwave alerts were issued for 72 out of 96 departments in the mainland on this day.

Météo-France forecasted that daytime high temperatures would soar to 35–39 degrees nationwide, with some regions reaching up to 41 degrees.

In addition, dry weather conditions are leading to increased wildfire damage.

An analysis of European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) data by AFP showed that 7,800 hectares of land in France were destroyed by wildfires during the first 8 days of this month.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)