https://feeds.thelocal.com/ Read the latest news and views from France in English en-us news@thelocal.com (TheLocal) webmaster@thelocal.com (TheLocal) TheLocal RSS Feed G7 chair France on Monday pushed for faster global action to reduce methane emissions at a conference in Paris as the International Energy Agency said discharges from the fossil fuel sector remained near record levels. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260504/france-pushes-for-global-action-on-methane-emissions Mon, 04 May 2026 11:49:48 +0200 france-pushes-for-global-action-on-methane-emissions Local authorities in south-west France, including Charente and Charente-Maritime - have imposed the first water restrictions of the year, due to early weather disturbances. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260428/south-west-france-brings-in-water-restrictions Tue, 28 Apr 2026 10:36:06 +0200 south-west-france-brings-in-water-restrictions France has announced a “first of its kind” plan to phase out coal by 2030, oil by 2045 and gas by 2050 during a global conference aimed at breaking reliance on fossil fuels. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260429/france-unveils-plan-to-ditch-all-fossil-fuels-by-2050 Wed, 29 Apr 2026 09:06:48 +0200 france-unveils-plan-to-ditch-all-fossil-fuels-by-2050 Rising temperatures mean that mosquitoes are more prevalent than ever in France, leading local authorities to adopt an increasing range of measures to get rid of the loathed insects. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260427/traps-sprays-and-sterilisation-how-france-is-dealing-with-its-mosquito-problem Mon, 27 Apr 2026 14:30:46 +0200 traps-sprays-and-sterilisation-how-france-is-dealing-with-its-mosquito-problem France’s cuts to greenhouse gas emissions slowed for a second straight year in 2025 and remain below what is needed to meet its climate goals, according to government-commissioned data. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260408/france-climate-targets-off-track-as-emissions-cuts-slow-again Wed, 08 Apr 2026 08:33:22 +0200 france-climate-targets-off-track-as-emissions-cuts-slow-again Nearly 6,000 deaths in France during the summer of 2025 were caused by high temperatures, official figures reveal. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260227/death-toll-from-last-summers-french-heatwaves-nearly-6000 Fri, 27 Feb 2026 16:23:24 +0100 death-toll-from-last-summers-french-heatwaves-nearly-6000 Another two skiers have lost their lives while skiing off-piste in the French Alps, just days after an avalanche killed three in the same mountains. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260217/two-more-skiers-die-in-avalanche-in-french-alps Tue, 17 Feb 2026 16:04:59 +0100 two-more-skiers-die-in-avalanche-in-french-alps Two départements in south-west France remain on red alert - the highest level, indicating a possible danger to life - on Monday after days of torrential rain have seen rivers across the region burst their banks. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260216/in-pictures-flooding-hits-swathes-of-south-west-france Mon, 16 Feb 2026 09:58:06 +0100 in-pictures-flooding-hits-swathes-of-south-west-france France's government on Thursday presented an energy plan to use less imported fossil fuels, including by ramping up nuclear-fuelled power production over the next decade. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260212/france-bets-on-nuclear-power-to-phase-out-fossil-fuels Thu, 12 Feb 2026 16:01:42 +0100 france-bets-on-nuclear-power-to-phase-out-fossil-fuels France's emissions cuts slowed for a second straight year in 2025 and remain off track to meeting its pledged climate goals, according to a provisional government-commissioned forecast published on Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260113/france-climate-goals-off-track-as-emissions-cuts-slow-again Tue, 13 Jan 2026 10:30:34 +0100 france-climate-goals-off-track-as-emissions-cuts-slow-again France has brought in a new labelling to help customers pick clothes based on their environmental impact. https://www.thelocal.fr/20251002/frances-new-label-for-scoring-clothes-by-environmental-impact Thu, 02 Oct 2025 13:15:26 +0200 frances-new-label-for-scoring-clothes-by-environmental-impact The Mediterranean coast, Greater Paris, Rouen and the Loire Valley are at the greatest risk of flooding, according to a government agency, while climate experts warn property hunters to be more aware of future flooding risks in coastal areas. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250912/map-one-in-four-people-in-france-live-in-flood-risk-areas Fri, 12 Sep 2025 15:53:23 +0200 map-one-in-four-people-in-france-live-in-flood-risk-areas French public health authorities have reported hundreds of excess deaths during the second heatwave of the summer - which spanned two weeks during August. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250912/france-recorded-at-least-280-excess-deaths-during-august-heatwave Fri, 12 Sep 2025 12:47:31 +0200 france-recorded-at-least-280-excess-deaths-during-august-heatwave France and Switzerland have signed two agreements on how to manage their shared waters of Lake Geneva and the River Rhone -- an increasingly pressing issue as climate change takes its toll. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250905/france-and-switzerland-agree-on-rhone-and-lake-geneva-water-management Fri, 05 Sep 2025 14:30:29 +0200 france-and-switzerland-agree-on-rhone-and-lake-geneva-water-management This year's punishing back-to-back heatwaves and ferocious wildfires in France were a "taste of what's to come", as climate change pushed summer temperatures to near record highs, the country's environment minister warned on Tuesday. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250902/extreme-summer-heat-of-2025-is-turning-point-says-french-minister Tue, 02 Sep 2025 15:15:56 +0200 extreme-summer-heat-of-2025-is-turning-point-says-french-minister Environmental campaign group Greenpeace has slammed the fact that budget flights between destinations in Europe are still often significantly cheaper than travelling by train. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250822/unfair-budget-flights-in-europe-up-to-26-times-cheaper-than-train-routes Fri, 22 Aug 2025 18:32:46 +0200 unfair-budget-flights-in-europe-up-to-26-times-cheaper-than-train-routes Wildfires have so far ravaged more than one million hectares of land in European Union countries this year, a record since recording began in 2006, according to AFP analysis of official data. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250822/record-eu-wildfires-burnt-more-than-1mn-hectares-in-2025 Fri, 22 Aug 2025 10:56:46 +0200 record-eu-wildfires-burnt-more-than-1mn-hectares-in-2025 Harvesting has begun at vineyards across France, an unusually early start to the grape-picking season linked to warming temperatures and early summer heatwaves. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250820/french-vineyards-start-abnormally-early-harvest-after-heatwaves Wed, 20 Aug 2025 12:10:35 +0200 french-vineyards-start-abnormally-early-harvest-after-heatwaves From strange orange-tinted clouds to spectacular sunsets, drifting smoke from Spanish and Portuguese wildfires are the cause of bizarre skies in south-west and western France, according to Météo France. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250818/bizarre-skies-and-sunsets-in-france-due-to-smoke-from-spanish-wildfires Mon, 18 Aug 2025 16:26:10 +0200 bizarre-skies-and-sunsets-in-france-due-to-smoke-from-spanish-wildfires As France's intense August heatwave entered its seventh day, the country's weather forecaster lifted the highest-level red alert, but most of the country remained under orange warnings, with scorching temperatures set to persist. https://www.thelocal.fr/20250811/france-on-red-alert-for-week-of-sweltering-heatwaves Mon, 11 Aug 2025 10:54:50 +0200 france-on-red-alert-for-week-of-sweltering-heatwaves