French government faces criticism over heat wave response, climate policies

France’s government is facing criticism from opposition parties over its handling of the recent heat wave and its broader climate policies, Le Monde reported on Monday.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is due to chair a fourth interministerial crisis meeting Monday to review the government’s response to the record-breaking heat wave that affected much of the country.

The meeting comes after Sante publique France reported around 1,000 excess deaths above the seasonal average since June 24, in what the agency described as a preliminary estimate.

Opposition politicians questioned the government’s response after the figures were released.

Marine Tondelier, leader of the Greens party, called for political accountability, while Jean-Philippe Tanguy of the National Rally said many of the deaths could have been prevented.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez defended the government’s handling of the heat wave.

President Emmanuel Macron also defended his government’s record on climate policy, saying France had undertaken “a great deal of work” to reduce carbon emissions and adapt public infrastructure to climate change, while acknowledging that “we have not finished this work.”

The government approved the procurement of 30,000 air-conditioning units for hospitals on Saturday after the heat wave intensified.

The government activated national emergency response plans and delegated operational management to regional authorities through prefects as temperatures reached record levels across France.