Paris is sweltering through a heatwave that forecasters call ‘punishingly hot’, with temperatures topping 40°C in parts of the French capital. The mercury hit 42°C at Montsouris park on Tuesday afternoon, breaking the July record set in 2019. The elderly, the homeless, and those without air conditioning are facing the worst of it.
Public fountains have been overwhelmed as families queue for water. The metro runs slower to avoid overheating. For the millions who live in cramped apartments without fans, the heat is a threat to health and dignity.
‘You can’t breathe, you can’t sleep, you just wait for night,’ said Marie, 68, who lives in a fifth-floor walk-up in the 18th arrondissement. The French government has activated emergency cooling centres and extended park hours. But critics say more must be done to insulate homes and adapt cities to extreme weather.
The rest of Western Europe is also baking. London reached 40°C for the first time. In Frankfurt, trams stopped running to avoid track buckling.
The heatwave is a reminder that the climate crisis is here, and it hits the poorest hardest.
