In a poem from the late 18th century.my century, André Chénier praised France, this “beautiful country”, “Generous land that the complacent gods formed to be happy”. “The noon of its fires saves you from the furies”he wrote, describing the “Frozen Alps”HE “winding rivers” or the “fertile fields”, “source of abundance”Two hundred years later, this idyllic panorama is overshadowed by climate change. From the coasts to the peaks, from the plains to the cities, no territory is spared from the effects of global warming. Now we are faced with heat waves, droughts, fires, floods, water shortages, falling agricultural yields and melting eternal snows.
Region by region, the Climate Action Network (RAC) methodically describes these numerous and diverse impacts. “What are the French landscapes?”in a 100-page report published on Thursday 19 September, in collaboration with the Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME). An overview of the climate crisis that is already affecting France and which will continue to worsen. This summary is all the more useful since there is no recent collective assessment of climate risks and vulnerabilities, with scenarios by region, despite the recommendations of the High Climate Council (HCC).
“Contrary to what we still hear today, climate change is not far from us, neither in time nor in space. It already has many consequences in France and it will get worse.”recalls Benjamin Crettenand, one of the two authors of the report, responsible for raising awareness on climate change within the RAC, a network that brings together 37 associations. By cross-referencing and synthesizing hundreds of data from Météo-France, the HCC, INSEE and even regional groups of climate experts, “We wanted to offer a tool to help communities make decisions to plan for the transition and adapt to global warming”adds Clara Sannicolo, head of climate and territories at the RAC, who is also the other co-author of the report.
The worst is yet to come
In a France that has already warmed by 1.9°C since the pre-industrial era, all regions face a multitude of risks. If the Île-de-France and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur are the first to be hit by the heat, the Hautes-de-France by floods and Normandy by erosion and submergence, almost all the dangers affect the entire territory. “Everywhere, in the coming decades, the exceptional will become the norm”adds Clara Sannicolo.
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