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 Summer in France brings with it flies, bugs and - increasingly - mosquitoes. But one thing you'll notice, especially if you're American, is the absence of window screens in French homes. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260506/explained-why-dont-french-homes-have-insect-screens Wed, 06 May 2026 13:53:21 +0200 explained-why-dont-french-homes-have-insect-screens A decree published in France’s Journal Officiel reveals the government has authorised electricity supplier EDF to pilot dynamic tariffs. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260506/frances-edf-to-test-dynamic-electricity-pricing Wed, 06 May 2026 14:35:37 +0200 frances-edf-to-test-dynamic-electricity-pricing 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 The last thing you want to discover is that bees, wasps or hornets have made a nest in or around your French property - and this is often a problem for second-home owners whose properties are empty for long periods. https://www.thelocal.fr/20231004/what-to-do-if-you-find-a-bee-wasp-or-hornet-nest-on-your-french-property Wed, 04 Oct 2023 12:38:43 +0200 what-to-do-if-you-find-a-bee-wasp-or-hornet-nest-on-your-french-property 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 After standardising chargers for mobile phones, from Tuesday new computers sold in EU countries must also use the USB-C charging point, as the latest phase of EU anti-waste legislation comes into force. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260428/eu-anti-waste-law-new-laptops-sold-in-europe-must-now-use-usb-c-chargers Tue, 28 Apr 2026 12:16:33 +0200 eu-anti-waste-law-new-laptops-sold-in-europe-must-now-use-usb-c-chargers Wildfires are common in the south of France in summer - but the forest fire risk zone is spreading while blazes are also starting earlier. This year the first forest fire was recorded in April. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260427/first-forest-fire-of-the-year-breaks-out-in-france Mon, 27 Apr 2026 17:25:00 +0200 first-forest-fire-of-the-year-breaks-out-in-france 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 The French city of Lyon is set to release 200,000 sterile male tiger mosquitoes, using a new technology to control the population of irritating biting bloodsuckers. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260427/french-city-to-release-200000-sterile-male-mosquitos Mon, 27 Apr 2026 10:06:12 +0200 french-city-to-release-200000-sterile-male-mosquitos A meeting of G7 nations on the environment begins in Paris on Thursday but climate change has been left off the agenda to avoid a row with the United States. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260423/france-scraps-g7-climate-focus-to-accommodate-us Thu, 23 Apr 2026 08:31:22 +0200 france-scraps-g7-climate-focus-to-accommodate-us French lawmakers have voted to scrap the low-emission zones that are in place for motorists in 25 towns and cities across France. But what happens next? https://www.thelocal.fr/20260416/french-parliament-votes-to-scrap-low-emission-zones-but-is-this-the-end Thu, 16 Apr 2026 09:37:46 +0200 french-parliament-votes-to-scrap-low-emission-zones-but-is-this-the-end In Nice, every year since 1960, tons of pebbles have been dumped along the Promenade des Anglais, part of the annual makeover of town's famous pebble beach. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260326/french-riviera-city-of-nice-begins-its-annual-beach-makeover Thu, 26 Mar 2026 10:24:51 +0100 french-riviera-city-of-nice-begins-its-annual-beach-makeover Environmental pollution is linked to several mental health disorders in Europe, the European Environment Agency (EEA) has warned, arguing that enforcing legislation would result in Europeans being both less depressed and less anxious. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260305/pollution-exposure-in-europe-linked-to-mental-health-problems Thu, 05 Mar 2026 14:10:55 +0100 pollution-exposure-in-europe-linked-to-mental-health-problems As France pushes ahead with its green transition, we take a look at the country's wind turbines - how many of them are there, how much electricity do they provide and who likes or loathes them. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260304/explained-who-loves-and-who-loathes-frances-10000-wind-turbines Wed, 04 Mar 2026 17:14:20 +0100 explained-who-loves-and-who-loathes-frances-10000-wind-turbines The United Nations announced Thursday the approval of the first carbon credits under a global market aimed at reducing emissions, a mechanism that has faced scrutiny over greenwashing concerns. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260226/un-approves-first-carbon-credits-under-paris-agreement Thu, 26 Feb 2026 08:26:21 +0100 un-approves-first-carbon-credits-under-paris-agreement 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 The European Central Bank said Friday it had fined French bank Credit Agricole €7.55 million ($9 million) for failing to properly identify climate change-related risks that could affect its balance sheet. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260214/ecb-fines-french-bank-for-climate-risk-failures Sat, 14 Feb 2026 15:11:49 +0100 ecb-fines-french-bank-for-climate-risk-failures Three skiers - two of whom were British - died after an avalanche in the French Alps on Friday, bringing the death toll from avalanches in France since the start of the season to 25. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260213/three-dead-after-avalanche-in-french-alps Fri, 13 Feb 2026 15:07:42 +0100 three-dead-after-avalanche-in-french-alps More and more towns in France are banning or limiting the use of open fires or log burners due to concerns about air pollution, with 1,200 communes now having some sort of restriction in place. https://www.thelocal.fr/20260120/listed-the-towns-in-france-that-ban-open-fires-or-log-burners Tue, 20 Jan 2026 17:36:59 +0100 listed-the-towns-in-france-that-ban-open-fires-or-log-burners