Heatwave in France Linked to Surge in Deaths

France’s national public health authority has indicated that there were over 1,000 additional deaths last week linked to the heatwave, compared to averages from previous months.

According to Santé Publique France, the spike in deaths occurred between June 24 and June 26, surpassing the average figures from April and May. The regions most affected were those under emergency heatwave warnings, such as Brittany, Center-Val-de-Loire, Ile-de-France, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Normandy, and Pays-de-la-Loire.

Public health officials report that this rise in fatalities is affecting all age groups. Nonetheless, about 85% of the reported deaths involve individuals aged 65 or older. Notably, there has been an increase in fatalities occurring in hospitals and nursing homes.

There has been a particularly alarming rise in deaths occurring at home, which are now 40% higher than the average. This situation underlines the challenges faced in a country where only about 24% of homes have air conditioning.

However, the actual impact of the heatwave might be even more significant in the following days. Santé Publique France has noted that there are considerable discrepancies in how deaths are recorded by region and method.

Health officials have explained that electronic death certificates typically only capture around 60% of deaths initially, which varies when comparing deaths at home to those in hospitals, where the figures tend to be higher.

“These observed trends should be interpreted with caution, as the data may underreport areas and instances of death that are less covered by the system, particularly at home. Hence, the mortality rate is likely to be higher than what the early figures indicate,” commented Santé Publique.

In addition to deaths directly attributed to the heat, there have been multiple drownings as individuals, particularly younger individuals, have sought relief from the intense temperatures.

The current heatwave has garnered international attention, shining a light on heat-related fatalities. Previous statistics show that Europe faced around 62,700 heat-related deaths in the summer of 2024, compared to 50,800 in 2023 and 67,900 in 2022.

Once criticized by left-leaning activists regarding climate change, public opinion regarding air conditioning seems to be shifting. Reports suggest that over 80% of French voters now believe air conditioning should be standard in buildings.

Marine Le Pen’s party, Rally the People, has pledged to introduce a “large-scale air conditioning plan,” targeting around 20 billion euros for investments in air conditioning across the nation, leveraging existing interest-free loans from the climate change bill.

Meanwhile, Monique Barbu, Macron’s Minister of Environment and Transition, expressed dismay at the uptick in requests for air conditioning, claiming it may worsen the heat outside city buildings.