In light of the new heatwave hitting France, Senator Ian Brossat from the Communist Party is preparing to submit a bill aimed at requisitioning unused air-conditioned buildings whenever Météo-France issues an orange or red alert for a department. What's the idea? Open up shopping centers, office buildings, or air-conditioned facilities to provide temporary shelters for the most vulnerable people. This measure addresses an urgent need, but it also raises a fundamental question: Are our cities still equipped to handle the climate we are facing?
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Increasingly Frequent Heatwaves
The numbers speak for themselves. Since 1947, France has experienced 51 heatwaves. Over half of these have occurred since 2011, showing that these extreme episodes are gradually becoming the norm rather than the exception. And if it feels like every summer breaks a new record, it's not just a feeling.
Why is it so hot in the city?
During heatwaves, some urban neighborhoods can be up to 10 °C warmer than the surrounding countryside. The reason has a name: urban heat islands. Concrete, asphalt, mineral facades, lack of vegetation… All these materials absorb heat during the day and slowly release it at night. The result: even after the sun sets, temperatures remain high.
raised and prevent cities from really cooling down.```htmlSee this post on Instagram
Air conditioning, essential… but counterproductive
In this context, it's hard to imagine living without air conditioning. It saves lives during extreme heat events, especially in hospitals, nursing homes, or the most vulnerable housing.
But it also has a downside. According to the International Energy Agency, air conditioning... ```n represents nearly 7% of global electricity consumption and around 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Not to mention, it exhausts warm air outside, which locally contributes to heating up the streets even more. In other words, it has become an essential short-term solution, but it cannot be the solution by itself.
The buildings of tomorrow could cool down… without electricity
What if, instead of air conditioning buildings, we simply prevented them from heating up? The World Economic Forum has recently ranked passive radiative cooling materials among the top ten emerging technologies of 2026. Their principle is surprisingly simple: these coatings reflect up to 95% of solar radiation and naturally shed heat into space, without any energy consumption. In the long run, they could help lower indoor temperatures.
;reducing the temperature of certain buildings by 5 to 10 °C, while limiting the use of air conditioning.
Cities will especially need to become greener
However, technology alone won't be enough. Urban planners today agree on several crucial levers: planting more trees, greening schoolyards, replacing asphalt with permeable surfaces, encouraging cross-ventilated buildings that allow air to flow, and increasing the number of green or white roofs to reflect the sun. In other words, we need to transform cities to ensure they remain livable even when the thermometer frequently exceeds 40 °C.
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What Will France Look Like in 2050?
The projections from Météo-France give us a glimpse of what to expect. By 2050, France is expected to be on average 2.7 °C warmer than at the beginning of the 20th century.
Specifically, this could mean up to five times more heatwave days; temperatures exceeding 40 °C becoming regular in several regions; a significant increase in tropical nights, where the thermometer doesn’t drop below 20 °C.
Meanwhile, the United Nations estimates that nearly 70% of the global population will live in cities by the middle of the century.
For decades, our cities have been designed for cars. The challenge in the coming years will undoubtedly be quite different: envisioning cities that can protect their inhabitants from the heat. Heatwaves are no longer an exceptional phenomenon. They are reshaping our climate... and soon our way of life.
We can build cities.