“This is what we have to expect in the coming years,” warns the climatologist Jean Jouzel

Since the beginning of August, France has faced an exceptional heat wave, according to Météo-France. Temperatures reach 40 ° C, or even more, in certain regions of the country. Scorching episodes that seem more and more recurrent. So should we prepare for it? Guest on franceinfo Monday August 11, Jean Jouzel, former vice-president of the IPCC, alert on “repetition“Tagules with which France is confronted.”In global warming which would be around three or four degrees on a planetary scale, a good half of the planet would know these unlivable temperatures“He says.

This text corresponds to part of the transcription of the report above. Click on the video to watch it in full.

Franceinfo: How would you qualify this scorching episode? Is it exceptional?

Jean Jouzel: It is an event that may become more and more frequent, more and more normal. We are in an intensification of extreme events, especially these heat waves which are really repetitive. In France, there have been twice as many heat waves since 2010 that there were between 1950 and 2010. So, I unfortunately believe that we must get used to and even anticipate an intensification of these phenomena in the coming decades. You have to prepare for it. In the context of the global warming that we are experiencing, this is what we expect. This is something quite exceptional, but that’s what we expect, and we have to expect in the coming years.

The whole Southwest is on red vigilance at least until tomorrow. Does this mean that the tourist regions of tomorrow will no longer be those of today?

Yes, it plays on a lot. There is also the conjunction between droughts and heat waves that question and ask questions in certain tourist regions. Indeed, it is not very pleasant to have days when temperatures reach 40 degrees. So it questions tourism.

In some regions, this could actually be less present and, for example, the Mediterranean, the Southwest, perhaps less Brittany, where temperatures remain milder.

“All activity sectors are questioned, from energy to agriculture to our daily life. There are also consequences on the forest fires that we have experienced in recent days.”

Jean Jouzel, climatologist

in franceinfo

We often talk about limits for the adaptation of society to these temperatures. From what level of heat and humidity, a company, even well equipped like ours, can no longer adapt?

Society can adapt easily, and this is what is at the heart of the Paris Agreement, if global warming was limited, well below 2 degrees on an average planetary. But we head more towards 4 degrees, which is far too much. We are talking about wet temperatures when they exceed 35 degrees, with a humidity of 80%. And there, temperatures become unlivable. That is to say the conditions under which one cannot have physical activity, normal sports activity, outside. It has already happened in Iran, for example, where temperatures exceed 50 degrees. Thus, we are in a context of unlivable temperatures.

In global warming which would be around 3 or 4 degrees on a planetary scale, a good half of the planet would know these unlivable temperatures, therefore the conjunction of high temperatures and significant humidity over a part of the year. It is very difficult to imagine a world in which it would be difficult to work normally outside, but that is what may happen.

We talk a lot about record day temperatures, but there are also these tropical nights that exhaust organisms …

Yes, they are worrying because it is the quality of life that is attacked, especially in cities, with the problem of heat islands. The heat accumulates in cities, in buildings, and therefore it is returned at night, and tropical nights are even more difficult. It is more complicated to cope with it in the communes, in particular, for the most modest populations. Summer comfort has been largely forgotten by our architects in recent decades and very few buildings are pleasant to live.

Despite everything, some cities try to adapt by opening the pools for free or parks, creating islets of freshness. What is, among all the most effective solutions?

Vegetation is important. The provision of water points is also. It is important, when you are outside, to have easy and free access to water. And of course, painting. Painting the roofs in white is also very effective. Besides, many countries do. We can see that it is traditional in Mediterranean countries. It is unfortunately very difficult in certain French regions, for example in the case of Haussmannian buildings in Paris. It is very important to be able to do so, but we cannot currently. The buildings of France do not quite agree with these methods, so there may also be conflicts. It is a fairly interesting solution, which makes it possible to reduce the temperatures of a few degrees when you are under the roofs.