France has experienced one of its hottest summer solstices in nearly a century, with daytime temperatures reaching local highs of 38°C, tropical nights above 20°C and extreme heat alerts in multiple regions. This isn’t an unprecedented weather event, but the early arrival and intensity of this heatwave serve as new warnings of the ongoing disruptions of the climate.
Once extremely rare, such phenomena are increasingly frequent and pose ever more problems for health, agriculture and biodiversity. Factual, science-backed evidence has clearly not been enough to trigger the level of action required for everyone to adapt and, above all, to counter the effects of climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Climate inaction is particularly clear in the international community’s inability to meet its own commitments. A group of renowned scientists has just confirmed that the goal of the 2015 Paris Agreement to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels will not be achieved. Rather than leading us to despair, this finding should, on the contrary, spur us to increase our efforts.
The fight is admittedly off to a bad start. The American administration has openly embraced climate skepticism, multiplying attacks on science and low-carbon policies. Global coal and oil consumption continues to rise. Increasingly, voices in Europe are calling to slow down efforts to reduce emissions. In France, environmental planning has been losing momentum, the plan to adapt to global warming has fallen behind schedule and climate measures are being unraveled, one by one.
The need for real social support
Fueled by an ever-present populism, part of public opinion has fallen into denial and resignation. Faced with a complex issue, it is not difficult for demagogues to promise immediate comfort by clinging to outdated models, to the detriment of the planet’s medium-term habitability. The moratorium on renewable energy voted by French right-wing and far right parties in the Assemblée Nationale in the midst of a heatwave on June 19 shows cynicism, demagoguery and blindness know no bounds.
Moving beyond this impasse means understanding the reasons behind it. Then, it will be possible to build a message that can generate new momentum. This message should place greater emphasis on the benefits of transition, such as the increased purchasing power, the improved living environment and the independence that come with energy savings. It should also encourage progress already made in reducing emissions and assess the cost of climate inaction in more concrete terms.
Finally, public acceptance of government policies requires tailoring efforts to individual constraints in terms of income and area of residence. This means finding the resources to provide genuine social support, despite budgetary pressures. Only under these conditions can the environmental debate break free from its current polarization. The increasing frequency of extreme weather events serve to remind us the urgency to do so deepens day by day.
