France, Italy and Spain have issued red heat alerts as temperatures soar above 40C, placing immense strain on infrastructure and public health. In cities like Paris, Rome and Madrid, emergency services are on standby for heatstroke cases, while railways and power grids face potential disruption. The alerts cover regions from Bordeaux to Bologna, with forecasters warning the heatwave could persist for days.
For working people, the heat is not just uncomfortable: it shuts down construction sites, hits agricultural yields, and forces outdoor labourers to choose between lost wages and dangerous conditions. Unions in Spain have already called for mandatory heat breaks, pointing to the death of a street cleaner last summer. In France, the government has opened cooling centres, but critics say they are too few and far between for the millions who cannot afford air conditioning.
The cost of living crisis is colliding with the climate crisis, leaving the most vulnerable exposed. As the mercury rises, the question is not just whether the grid can cope, but whether our society can.
