PARIS — In a decisive move to combat extreme weather, the French government under President Emmanuel Macron has issued a comprehensive ban on heatwaves, effective immediately.
The decree, signed late Monday amid a record-breaking heat dome that has pushed temperatures above 40°C in multiple regions, prohibits atmospheric conditions exceeding 30°C for more than 48 consecutive hours. Violators, including rogue high-pressure systems and unauthorized solar activity, will face administrative sanctions.
“France will not tolerate these repeated aggressions against our way of life,” Macron stated in a televised address from a climate-controlled room at the Élysée Palace. “We have adapted to global warming, but we will not adapt to peaks without equivalent. This is a matter of republican dignity.”
The ban includes several enforcement measures:
- Mandatory reporting of suspicious heat by citizens via a new government hotline.
- Temporary restrictions on outdoor activities, public alcohol consumption during festivals, and non-essential exposure to direct sunlight.
- Enhanced monitoring by Météo-France, with red alerts now carrying legal weight.
- A national adaptation plan emphasizing shutters, siestas, and sternly worded letters to the sun.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu defended the policy against criticism from opposition figures, including Marine Le Pen, who has proposed a €20 billion air-conditioning rollout described by officials as “excessive and suspiciously transatlantic.”
“We are in the same boat,” Lecornu said, “even if that boat is currently rather warm.”
The timing of the ban coincides with renewed transatlantic tensions. U.S. President Donald Trump, responding to the crisis via social media, offered to “personally lower the temperature in France” if Paris agrees to scrap its digital services tax on American technology firms.
“If they drop the tax on our great companies, the heat goes away. Simple deal. Otherwise, it stays hot. Very hot. Tremendous heat, by the way,” Trump wrote.
French officials have so far rejected any linkage between domestic weather policy and trade negotiations, with one senior source describing the offer as “not serious.”
Environmental groups welcomed the ban’s symbolic value but questioned its practical effect on underlying climate trends. Opposition parties called it further evidence of governmental disconnect, noting that many public buildings still lack adequate cooling infrastructure.
As of press time, temperatures in Paris remained well above the newly prohibited threshold, with no immediate signs of compliance from the atmosphere. Officials urged calm and hydration while reminding citizens that surrendering to meteorological phenomena remains strictly optional.
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