Paris Schools Shut Early as 38°C Heatwave Turns City into ‘Zombie Zone,’ 20 Drown
Thousands of schools in Paris are closing two weeks before summer break as a brutal heatwave pushes temperatures to 38 degrees Celsius, causing at least 20 drowning deaths and disrupting trains across France.
Millions of people across France woke up sweating on June 23 after another night of extreme heat, with most of the population now facing exceptional temperatures [179605]. In Paris, thousands of schools are being forced to close two weeks before the summer break as extreme heat creates health risks for teachers and students [179914]. Leading politicians have admitted they have not taken climate change seriously enough [179914]. At 38 degrees Celsius, the human body stops working normally, and residents described wandering “like zombies through the too-few parks in Paris” [179914].
The country has little air-conditioning, and the heat has disrupted schools, trains, and sporting events [179605]. At least 20 drowning deaths have been reported since the weekend [179605]. Across the border in Spain, the first summer heat wave has arrived, and experts say traditional workplace protections are already outdated [179722]. The heat is coming earlier and stronger each year, forcing a rethink of when and how companies protect their staff [179722]. Last year was the hottest summer on record, and this year is expected to be similar, partly due to the El Niño weather phenomenon [179722]. Many companies only start summer safety measures, like adjusted working hours, in July [179722].
“Climate change is not a problem that is coming. It is already here,” said Mariano Sanz, a health and safety secretary for the CCOO union in Spain [179722]. Spanish law already requires all companies to protect workers from heat, and since 2023, outdoor workers must have specific plans for extreme temperatures during red and orange weather alerts [179722]. Despite the law, unions say enforcement is weak [179722]. Last week, the Labour Inspectorate sent over 110,000 warnings to companies reminding them of their duty to protect workers from heat [179722]. The World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization estimate that about 19,000 workers die each year from heat-related causes, and over 22 million more suffer injuries from exposure to high temperatures [179722].
In France, 49 of the country’s 96 mainland departments are now on a red alert weather warning, up from 35 over the weekend [178912]. A leading researcher stated that human-driven climate change contributed to the recent record-breaking heatwave [178912].