Paris bans alcohol in public amid record-breaking heatwave

Authorities in France’s capital have imposed restrictions on the sale and public consumption of alcohol, hoping to ease the burden on hospitals of people being brought in with dehydration as Paris bakes in a record-breaking heat wave.

City officials announced that the consumption of alcohol in public spaces would be prohibited, with the exception of outdoor seating areas at bars and restaurants, from noon on Friday until an ongoing heat wave alert is lifted.

Temperatures have set records this week, but they are forecast to ease across Western Europe over the weekend.

The sale of alcoholic beverages to take home – but not in bars and restaurants – is also prohibited during the ban.

The measure is aimed at reducing pressure on medical workers and emergency services during the heat wave.

“We are reaching a saturation point in hospital facilities,” Paris Police chief Patrice Faure said Thursday. “The number of hospitalizations keeps increasing … I must ensure that the pressure decreases.”

At least 55 people have drowned across France in recent days as they seek respite from the heat in ponds, lakes and rivers, the country’s national sports minister said Friday.

“Yesterday evening we were at 55, but we fear that the situation may worsen,” Minister Marina Ferrari told the franceinfo news outlet.

Meanwhile, the Netherlands issued a red alert for heat on Friday for the first time ever, with temperatures expected to exceed 100 degrees.

“The situation is dangerous; follow the guidance from the government and emergency services,” the Dutch national weather institute said.

A study published Friday by the World Weather Attribution organization found that human-caused climate change is to blame for the heat wave scorching most of Europe.

The study says the June temperatures currently being registered would have been “virtually impossible” 50 years ago, with the heat waves like the one now engulfing much of Europe 10 times more likely to happen than they were in 2003.

The scientists also say human-caused climate change is “unequivocally” responsible for the intensity of this heat wave, and they warn that a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels is “critical” to avoid the even higher temperatures.

In Western Europe “the hottest daily temperatures are warming at about triple the rate of global warming and night time temperatures at about twice the rate,” the study says.

“The chance of a heat wave like this has changed immensely,” wrote Theodore Keeping, the study’s lead author. “This event would not have been possible in June without climate change.”