Latest news with #Pannier-Runacher
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Climate
- Express Tribune
France battles largest wildfire since 1949 as blaze continues despite losing intensity
Listen to article A massive wildfire that has scorched through 16,000 hectares of forest and villages in southern France since Tuesday has lost intensity but is still not under control, officials said on Thursday. France's biggest wildfire in nearly eight decades has killed one person and destroyed dozens of houses. Plumes of smoke rose over the forest area in the Aude region. Three people are missing and two people, including a firefighter, are in critical condition, local authorities said. Drone footage showed swathes of charred earth after the fire swept across an area one-and-a-half times the size of Paris. The blaze, around 100 km (60 miles) from the border with Spain, not far from the Mediterranean Sea, has spread unusually rapidly, fanned by strong winds and very dry vegetation, following months of drought in the area. Read More: Indian helicopters continue rescue operation in flooded Himalayas It is now advancing more slowly, Environment Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher told France Info radio on Thursday morning. "The night was cooler, the fire is progressing more slowly, but it remains the most significant wildfire France has experienced since 1949," Pannier-Runacher said. "This is a wildfire that is a consequence of climate change, of drought in this region," she added. Christophe Magny, one of the officials leading the firefighting operation, told BFM TV that he hoped the blaze could be contained later in the day. But he warned: "As of now, the fire has not been brought under control." Also Read: Pakistan-born newspaper vendor in Paris to receive top French honour Officials said an investigation was under way to determine what caused the blaze. Scientists say the Mediterranean region's hotter, drier summers put it at high risk of wildfires. France's weather office has warned of a new heatwave starting in other parts of southern France on Friday and expected to last several days.
NDTV
02-07-2025
- Climate
- NDTV
France Registers Second-Warmest June Since Records Began In 1900
France registered its second-warmest June since records began in 1900, said the country's ministry for ecological transition on Wednesday, as Europe swelters under an early summer heatwave. High temperatures across Europe this week broke records, leading to the closure of nearly 2,000 schools in France at midday on Tuesday. "June 2025 has become the second hottest June since records began in 1900, behind June 2003," Ecology Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher said on Wednesday. Temperatures in June 2025 were 3.3 degrees Celsius higher than the seasonal average compared to 3.6 degrees Celsius in June 2003, her office said. "More than 300 people have been treated by firefighters and two have died following heat-related illnesses," Pannier-Runacher added. Her office later clarified that the two deaths were not an official confirmation of the number of death but based on information from media reports. France's Health Minister Catherine Vautrin confirmed it was "too early to take stock" of the consequences of the heatwave. "What I can say is that yesterday we saw an increase in emergency services activity in the Ile-de-France region, a serious increase of 15 percent," Vautrin said, speaking on television broadcaster BFMTV on Wednesday. The health ministry said that an initial estimate of excess mortality during the heatwave will be published around two weeks after it comes to an end. But a detailed report showing the number of deaths linked to the soaring temperatures with medical data will not be available until the autumn, it added. Around 3,700 heat-related deaths were reported in 2024, a year without red alerts for heatwaves. In 2023, which saw hotter summer temperatures, more than 5,000 deaths linked to heat were recorded. Relief will start to arrive from the Atlantic on Wednesday, bringing thunderstorms and cooler temperatures to parts of western Europe.
Euronews
02-07-2025
- Climate
- Euronews
June heatwave pushes Europe into record-breaking territory
As Europe bakes in its first major heatwave of the year, temperature records are being broken across the continent. During June, countries experienced temperatures more typical of July and August, with records broken from the Arctic Circle to the Mediterranean. The Portuguese weather service (IPMA) reported 46.6 °C in Mora on 29 June - the hottest ever recorded in mainland Portugal during June. Norway's Banak station reached 32.5°C, the highest temperature ever recorded within the European Arctic for the month. The extreme heat has brought health warnings, school closures and restrictions on outdoor work. The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) has said that for the continent as a whole, this month is likely to rank among the top five warmest Junes on record. How long will Europe's heatwave last? Scientists have said that this extended period of above-average temperatures is being caused by a heat dome. This is when a high-pressure area stays over the same place for days or even weeks, trapping the hot air below it. This acts something like a saucepan lid, causing temperatures to become hotter and hotter. Last week, a strong area of high pressure built over Western Europe. It extended up across Spain and Portugal into France, then spread to Germany and Italy over the weekend. After days of record-breaking heat, forecasters say there will be some relief on Wednesday into Thursday as thunderstorms and cooler temperatures arrive from the Atlantic, according to Météo-France. Spain and Italy may have to wait until the weekend to see temperatures begin to drop. France sees its second-hottest June since 1900 In France, temperatures of 40°C were recorded in Paris on Tuesday. The country's national weather agency placed several regions under the highest red alert. More than 1,300 schools were fully or partially closed across the country, and the summit of the Eiffel Tower has been closed to visitors until Thursday because of the heat. "June 2025 has become the second hottest June since records began in 1900, behind June 2003," French Ecology Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher said on Wednesday morning. 30 June was the hottest day since measurements began in 1947, according to Météo-France. Later, Pannier-Runacher added that more than 300 people have been taken into emergency care, and two had died as a result of heat-related illnesses. June 'pulverised' heat records in Spain Spanish weather service Aemet said that an 'extremely hot' June had 'pulverised records', surpassing the normal averages for July and August. It recorded an average of 23.6°C - the highest for the month in 64 years and 0.8°C higher than the previous record set in 2017. Provisional data shows that nine days in June broke records for their respective dates. Aemet says that in an 'undisturbed climate', five record warm days would be expected in an entire year. Ramón Pascual, a delegate for Spain's weather service in Barcelona, told The Associated Press the "very intense heat wave' is clearly linked to global warming. High sea surface temperatures in the Mediterranean are not helping either, as they reduce any cooling effects a nearby body of water might have. Millions of Europeans are being exposed to high heat stress The June-July heatwave is exposing millions of Europeans to high heat stress, according to Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the ECMWF. 'And our reanalysis data shows that many Europeans have experienced very high temperatures for the period since the start of June,' she adds. 'The temperatures observed recently are more typical of the months of July and August and tend to only happen a few times each summer. We saw it again in 2024, the warmest year on record.' Burgess also says climate change is making heatwaves more frequent and more intense, and they are now impacting larger geographical areas. Hot spells like this could become more frequent in the UK The UK experienced its hottest day of the year so far on Tuesday with a recorded temperature of 34.7°C in London's St James's Park. Provisional data from the Met Office indicates that the country experienced its second warmest June since 1884. The average temperature for the month reached 15.2°C, only surpassed by June 2023, which saw average temperatures of 15.8°C. It follows a record-breaking spring that was officially the warmest and sunniest on record. June continued that trend, the Met Office said, marked by two heatwaves and high temperatures at the end of the month. 'While we've not conducted formal climate attribution studies into June 2025's two heatwaves, past studies have shown it is virtually certain that human influence has increased the occurrence and intensity of extreme heat events such as this,' says Met Office climate scientist Dr Amy Doherty. Doherty adds that numerous climate attribution studies have shown that human influence increased the chance of specific heatwaves occurring, including those in summer 2018 and July 2022. "Our Met Office climate projections indicate that hot spells will become more frequent in our future climate, particularly over the southeast of the UK. Temperatures are projected to rise in all seasons, but the heat would be most intense in summer."
RTÉ News
02-07-2025
- Climate
- RTÉ News
France reports two deaths in heatwave, 300 hospitalised
France has reported two heat-related deaths, while wildfires have killed two people in Spain in a heatwave that has gripped Europe and forced the closure of a nuclear reactor at a Swiss power plant. With scorching temperatures again today, Spanish officials said a wildfire in Catalonia had killed two people yesterday and France's energy minister reported two deaths with a direct link to the heatwave, with 300 others taken to hospital. Italy issued red alerts for 18 cities because of the extreme heat and Turkey has been tackling wildfires in what meteorologists say is an "exceptional" heatwave because it has come so early in Europe's summer. The blaze in Torrefeta in the Catalonia region of Spain destroyed several farms and affected an area stretching for about 40km, officials said. It was largely contained though more wind and thunder storms were expected. "The fire was extremely violent and erratic due to storms and strong winds, generating a convection cloud that complicated extinguishing efforts," the fire service said. Authorities in the Spanish city of Barcelona said they were also looking into whether the death of a street cleaner at the weekend was heat-related. Spain experienced its hottest June on record this year, and France had its hottest June since 2003, Energy MinisterAgnes Pannier-Runacher said. Weather forecaster Meteo France said red alerts remained for several areas of central France, but that heat was easing in the west, though intense thunderstorms with possible heavy bursts of rainfall were expected in many parts of the east. Temperature highs were expected around 39 Celsius, with up to 34C in Paris, and 36C to 38C in Strasbourg, Lyon, Grenoble and Avignon. In Italy, Florence was expected to bear the brunt of the heat with a top temperature of 39C during the day. Red alerts were issued in 18 cities, including Milan and Rome. There was a risk of violent and sudden rain and storms, particularly along the central Appennine mountain region and Sardinia and Sicily. Swiss utility Axpo shut down one reactor unit at the Beznau nuclear power plant and halved output at another yesterday because of the high temperature of river water. Water is used for cooling and other purposes at nuclear power plants, and restrictions were expected to continue as temperatures are monitored. Scientists say greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels are a cause of climate change, with deforestation and industrial practices being other contributing factors. Last year was the planet's hottest on record.
Daily Mirror
12-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
France to ban ads for Shein and Temu in crackdown on 'ultra' fast fashion giants
On June 10, the French Senate nearly unanimously passed a bill that seeks to regulate 'ultra' fast fashion giants Shein and Temu with strict sanctions and ad bans The French Senate has overwhelmingly approved legislation to regulate 'ultra' fast fashion giants Shein and Temu. On June 10, the Senate passed a bill which would sanction companies with low 'eco-scores' and prohibit fast fashion advertisements. The bill directly targets Chinese e-commerce companies which have a reputation for selling products at extremely low prices. Environmental groups like Friends of the Earth have highlighted that Shein high product turnover "break[s] the market by selling at a loss" and "encourag[es] overconsumption and waste". The minister for ecological transition, Agnes Pannier-Runacher, called the bill "a major step in the fight against the economic and environmental impact of fast fashion and a strong signal sent to businesses and to consumers'. Pannier-Runacher has called fast fashion a "triple threat" that promotes overconsumption, causes ecological damage and threatens French clothing businesses. The new bill was modified from a previous version that was passed by France's lower house in 2024. The new version focuses on 'ultra' fast fashion companies and is notably lenient on European offenders like Zara, H&M and Kiabi. The amendments have drawn criticism from environmental groups with Pierre Condamine, campaign manager at Friends of the Earth France, calling the bill a 'missed opportunity' for 'real environmental ambition'. Jean-François Longeot, chair of the Senate's Committee on regional planning and sustainable development, defended the amendment saying: 'The [bill] clarifications make it possible to target players who ignore environmental, social, and economic realities, notably Shein and Temu, without penalising the European ready-to-wear sector'. Help us improve our content by completing the survey below. We'd love to hear from you! The bill will see the introduction of an 'eco-score' system applicable to all fast fashion companies. Those receiving the lowest scores will face taxes of up to five euros per product in 2025, increasing to 10 euros by 2030 with a cap of 50 percent of the product's original price. The legislation would also ban fast fashion advertising and impose sanctions on influencers who promote such products. A joint committee of senators and lower house deputies is expected to meet in September to produce a joint text, prior to the final adoption of the law. The European Commission also has to be notified, to ensure the bill complies with EU law prior to its adoption. Speaking to RTL radio on Monday, Shein spokesperson Quentin Ruffat said that regulation of the fast fashion industry will only succeed with 'collective effort' and not by targeting a 'single actor'. Ruffat said the new law would 'impact the purchasing power' of French people. The approval of the French legislation comes just a few weeks after consumer watchdogs from 21 countries filed a formal complaint to EU authorities about Shein for 'shaming' customers into buying more than they can afford. The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC) submitted a 29-page report to the European Commission citing 'dark patterns' and deceptive techniques to promote consumer purchases. The report lists fake countdown timers and low-stock warnings to create a false sense of urgency and scarcity.
