Climate

Interview Subscribers only

Thomas Piketty: 'To succeed in the climate transition, we must redistribute wealth differently'

In an interview with Le Monde, the French economist explains that protecting the planet from climate change cannot be achieved without reducing inequality.

Published on September 2, 2025, at 5:00 am (Paris), updated on September 2, 2025, at 10:10 am Nabil Wakim Cécile Cazenave

Interview Subscribers only

Valérie Masson-Delmotte: 'The climate situation will keep getting worse, but the danger also comes from collective denial'

After a summer marked by wildfires and heat waves, Masson-Delmotte, a climatologist and member of France's High Council on Climate, spoke with Le Monde about the public's tendency to quickly forget and political leaders' lack of accountability.

Published on August 25, 2025, at 4:00 pm (Paris) Audrey Garric

News

Spain's recent heatwave was 'most intense on record'

Provisional readings for the August 3-18 heatwave exceeded the last record, set in July 2022, and showed an average temperature 4.6°C higher than for previous such phenomena.

Published on August 24, 2025, at 1:38 pm (Paris), updated on August 24, 2025, at 2:48 pm Le Monde with AFP

News

Spanish PM warns 'difficult hours' left in wildfire fight

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urged extreme caution despite cooler weather, as blazes have scorched over 373,000 hectares, forced evacuations and left six dead across Spain and Portugal.

Published on August 19, 2025, at 6:39 pm (Paris) Le Monde with AFP

News

Monsoon floods in northern Pakistan claim hundreds of lives

Pakistani officials said Tuesday the death toll from flooding and landslides caused by five days of torrential rains in the north of the country rose to nearly 400.

Published on August 19, 2025, at 4:16 pm (Paris) Le Monde with AFP

News

Hurricane Erin forces evacuations in the US, but expected to stay offshore after hitting the Caribbean

The year's first Atlantic hurricane, Erin, reached a dangerous Category 5 status Saturday with 160 mph (260 kph) winds before weakening. It is expected to remain a large hurricane into midweek.

Published on August 19, 2025, at 3:35 am (Paris), updated on August 19, 2025, at 10:01 am Le Monde with AP

News

Wildfires rage in Spain and Portugal as neighboring countries send aid

Fires have ravaged more than 450,000 hectares of land across the Iberian peninsula since the start of the year, setting records in a region particularly hard hit by intensive heatwaves and drought affecting southern Europe.

Published on August 18, 2025, at 3:13 pm (Paris), updated on August 18, 2025, at 5:59 pm Le Monde with AFP

News

Greta Thunberg and climate activists block Norway oil refinery

Activists from Extinction Rebellion and Thunberg blocked the entrance to the Mongstad refinery in Bergen on Norway's southwestern coast on Monday. They plan to continue with a string of protests in the country throughout the week.

Published on August 18, 2025, at 2:46 pm (Paris) Le Monde with AFP

News

Hurricane Erin intensifies to 'catastrophic' category 5 storm in Caribbean

Erin, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season this year, was located about 170 kilometers northeast of Anguilla in the northern Leeward Islands, an area that includes the US and British Virgin Islands.

Published on August 16, 2025, at 6:44 pm (Paris) Le Monde with AFP

News

Global plastic pollution treaty talks extended in 'haze' of confusion

The 10 days of talks at the United Nations in Geneva were initially due to wrap up on Thursday. The plenary session – bringing all 185 negotiating countries together in the UN Palais des Nations' main assembly hall – lasted less than a minute, with shocked reactions among the delegates packing the room.

Published on August 15, 2025, at 3:20 am (Paris) Le Monde with AFP

News

Heatwave spreads across Europe, sparking deadly wildfires in Spain

The first fatality from the spate of wildfires in Spain was reported on Tuesday, after a child died of heatstroke in Italy on Monday. Meteorologists have predicted that Tuesday will be the hottest day of the heatwave yet.

Published on August 12, 2025, at 2:24 pm (Paris), updated on August 12, 2025, at 2:33 pm Le Monde with AFP

News

Italy's Mount Vesuvius closed to tourists as wildfire rages

All hiking routes up the volcano have been closed to tourists.

Published on August 10, 2025, at 2:29 pm (Paris) Le Monde with AFP

News

'Challenging day' for firefighters battling huge blaze in France

The wildfire burned in the southern Aude department through 16,000 hectares in 48 hours before being contained on August 7, stands out for its exceptional scale and speed of propagation. The fire is the worst in at least 50 years on the French Mediterranean coast, according to the French Government Forest Fire Database.

Published on August 10, 2025, at 2:18 pm (Paris) Le Monde with AFP

News

UN plastic pollution treaty talks floundering

Negotiations opened in Geneva on Tuesday to strike a legally-binding instrument that would tackle the growing problem of plastic pollution.

Published on August 9, 2025, at 4:18 pm (Paris) Le Monde with AFP

News

Firefighters battle blaze near Athens for second day

A fire that broke out to the south of the country on Friday had burned some 10,000 acres of brush and forest.

Published on August 9, 2025, at 3:27 pm (Paris) Le Monde with AFP

News

Firefighters battle to prevent reignition of France’s largest wildfire as residents return home

About 1,400 firefighters were deployed on Saturday in France's southern Aude region to prevent the country's largest wildfire in decades from reigniting, as all residents were allowed to return to their homes.

Published on August 9, 2025, at 12:48 pm (Paris) Le Monde with AP

News

Historic Spanish mosque-cathedral reopens after blaze

A fire broke out on Friday at the famous Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba in southern Spain, a UNESCO World Heritage site visited by over 2 million people in 2024.

Published on August 9, 2025, at 12:22 pm (Paris) Le Monde with AFP

News

High heat threatens to reignite wildfires in southern France

After firefighters said they had contained France's biggest wildfire in decades, local authorities warned that vigilance was still necessary, with temperatures set to rise above 30°C over the weekend.

Published on August 8, 2025, at 5:59 pm (Paris), updated on August 8, 2025, at 6:09 pm Le Monde with AP and AFP

News

French firefighters optimistic after controlling vast wildfire in the south

On Friday, authorities reported that the fire in southern France, which scorched 17,000 hectares in two days, is still burning but has not spread since yesterday.

Published on August 8, 2025, at 11:04 am (Paris), updated on August 8, 2025, at 12:04 pm Le Monde with AFP

News

EPA cancels $7 billion Biden-era grant program to boost solar energy

The Environmental Protection Agency has terminated the grant that was intended to help pay for residential solar projects for more than 900,000 lower-income US households − a Biden-era attempt to introduce cleaner power onto the electrical grid and to lower energy bills for American consumers.

Published on August 7, 2025, at 10:15 pm (Paris), updated on August 7, 2025, at 11:26 pm Le Monde with AP

News

Huge wildfire in southern France now under control

Authorities said that the most severe fire in France's Mediterranean region in at least 50 years has been contained, though 'There is still a lot of work to be done.' The fire killed one person and destroyed thousands of hectares of land.

Published on August 7, 2025, at 9:37 pm (Paris), updated on August 7, 2025, at 11:16 pm Le Monde with AFP

News

July was Earth's third-warmest on record, EU scientists say

Despite a somewhat cooler July, the Copernicus Climate Change Service found that the 12-month period between August 2024 and July 2025 was 1.53 degrees above pre-industrial levels, exceeding the threshold set in 2015 to limit human-caused warming to 1.5 degrees.

Published on August 7, 2025, at 3:45 pm (Paris), updated on August 7, 2025, at 3:52 pm Le Monde with AP

News

Wildfire in southern France kills one, blaze in resort near Tarifa, Spain, 'stabilized'

The French blaze, which started on Tuesday in the southern Aude department, is the largest wildfire in the country this summer. It has so far killed one person and injured 13 others, two of them seriously.

Published on August 6, 2025, at 6:29 pm (Paris), updated on August 7, 2025, at 10:26 am Le Monde with AFP

News

Fire in southern France burns 8,000 hectares

The Aude department has seen an increase in the areas burnt in recent years due to low rainfall, and the current fire has so far led to one death and 9 people injured.

Published on August 6, 2025, at 3:47 am (Paris), updated on August 6, 2025, at 9:55 am Le Monde with AFP

News

Federal judge rules Trump administration cannot cut billions from disaster mitigation

A US district judge in Boston granted a preliminary injunction sought by 20 Democrat-led states. FEMA initially announced it was ending the disaster mitigation program, but later said in a court filing that it was evaluating it.

Published on August 5, 2025, at 11:01 pm (Paris), updated on August 6, 2025, at 9:32 am Le Monde with AP

News

Great Barrier Reef suffers most widespread bleaching on record

A report by the Australian Institute of Marine Science warns the natural wonder is in dire health.

Published on August 5, 2025, at 5:16 pm (Paris), updated on August 5, 2025, at 5:26 pm Le Monde with AFP

News

Grand Canyon fire rages, one month on, while massive California fire threatens homes

A lightning strike caused the July 4 blaze in the Grand Canyon, which is still being battled by 1,000 personnel. In central California, at least three people have been injured as the flames swept Los Padres National Forest.

Published on August 5, 2025, at 2:14 am (Paris), updated on August 5, 2025, at 9:51 am Le Monde with AP and AFP

News

UK summer storm creates travel chaos

Gusts of wind in the north of Scotland reached 132 kilometres per hour. Several train operators in northern England and Scotland canceled services, and flights were canceled, especially from Aberdeen airport.

Published on August 5, 2025, at 12:47 am (Paris), updated on August 5, 2025, at 9:47 am Le Monde with AFP

News

Heavy rains in northern China leave dozens dead

Torrential rains and flooding struck northern China, including Beijing's rural suburbs, from July 23 to 29, leaving at least 70 people dead and nine still missing. Officials admitted they had not been sufficiently prepared.

Published on July 31, 2025, at 11:33 am (Paris), updated on July 31, 2025, at 1:30 pm Le Monde with AFP

News

Tsunami warnings issued along Pacific coasts after 8.8-magnitude earthquake in Russia

The earthquake, which struck off Russia's Kamchatka peninsula early Wednesday, triggered tsunamis in Russia and Japan and prompted warnings across several countries from Asia to the Americas.

Published on July 30, 2025, at 3:19 am (Paris), updated on July 30, 2025, at 12:32 pm Le Monde with AP and AFP

News

Trump administration pushes to revoke scientific ruling that underpins climate regulations

The US Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday issued a proposal to rescind a foundational scientific finding that underpins the federal government's authority to limit greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles and, more broadly, to address climate change. The proposed move is certain to face legal challenges.

Published on July 29, 2025, at 9:51 pm (Paris), updated on July 29, 2025, at 11:37 pm Le Monde with AFP

News

Turkey battles wildfires, at least 14 people killed

More than 3,500 people have been forced to leave their homes. Temperatures above 40°C – and as high as 50°C – are expected in parts of the country

Published on July 28, 2025, at 12:43 am (Paris), updated on July 28, 2025, at 5:27 pm Le Monde with AP

News

Greece gets EU help to battle disastrous wildfires

The fires ravaged homes and sparked evacuations, with Czech firefighters and Italian aircraft being deployed. Firefighters worked on five fire fronts west of Athens, as well as on the islands of Evia, Kythera and Crete.

Published on July 27, 2025, at 2:14 pm (Paris), updated on July 28, 2025, at 7:45 am Le Monde with AFP

News

World's top court paves way for climate reparations

The International Court of Justice, the UN's highest court, has issued a landmark advisory opinion on states' legal obligations to tackle climate change, which could pave the way for litigation over reparations.

Published on July 23, 2025, at 7:00 pm (Paris), updated on July 24, 2025, at 10:00 am Le Monde with AFP

News

Tourist boat capsizes during Vietnam thunderstorm, leaving 34 dead

The boat was carrying 48 passengers and five crew members during a tour of Ha Long Bay, a popular destination in the north of the country.

Published on July 19, 2025, at 11:23 pm (Paris), updated on July 20, 2025, at 9:23 am Le Monde with AP

News

Floodwaters surge across New York and New Jersey amid heavy rain and travel chaos

Heavy rain and flash floods swept across the eastern United States on Monday, paralyzing airports, stranding vehicles, and prompting a state of emergency in New Jersey.

Published on July 15, 2025, at 1:53 pm (Paris), updated on July 15, 2025, at 5:42 pm Le Monde with AFP

News

Wildfire that razed historic Grand Canyon Lodge spread after being allowed to burn for days

The fire has raised scrutiny over the National Park Service’s decision not to aggressively attack the blaze right away. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs called for a federal investigation.

Published on July 15, 2025, at 12:52 am (Paris), updated on July 15, 2025, at 8:40 am Le Monde with AP

Column Subscribers only

'What explains the hatred of environmentalism that unites political forces in Europe and beyond?'

How could political parties seeking to govern France have arrived at such an irresponsible position as proposing a moratorium on renewable energies, asks sociologist Dominique Méda in her column.

Published on July 13, 2025, at 1:26 am (Paris), updated on July 19, 2025, at 2:09 pm Dominique Méda

News

Fast-spreading Grand Canyon wildfires force tourist evacuations

The Dragon Bravo Fire was 0% contained on Friday evening, sparking the evacuation of visitors and residents from the national park's northern rim. The White Sage Fire, an even larger blaze, has scorched roughly 10,973 acres of land.

Published on July 11, 2025, at 11:52 pm (Paris), updated on July 12, 2025, at 10:11 am Le Monde with AFP

News

Marseille mayor lifts confinement order as wildfire is pushed back

The mayor of France's second-largest city lifted an order that confined tens of thousands of people to their homes on Wednesday, July 9, as a fire that had raged towards the city had stabilized. Officials warned the blaze was not yet extinguished.

Published on July 9, 2025, at 11:03 am (Paris), updated on July 9, 2025, at 7:35 pm Le Monde with AFP

News

June 2025 sets record for hottest ever in Western Europe

According to the EU climate monitor Copernicus, 12 countries and some 790 million people around the world experienced their hottest June ever. Temperatures were particularly extreme in Europe, with two 'exceptional' heatwaves.

Published on July 9, 2025, at 7:40 am (Paris), updated on July 9, 2025, at 9:32 am Le Monde with AFP

News

Texas floods: Over 160 people still listed as missing

Governor Greg Abbott told reporters the figure was based on people reported as unaccounted for by friends, relatives and neighbors.

Published on July 8, 2025, at 11:24 pm (Paris), updated on July 9, 2025, at 7:17 am Le Monde with AP

News

Greece closes Acropolis and halts outdoor work amid scorching heatwave

Temperatures in Greece reached 40°C on Tuesday, July 8, in the second heatwave to grip the country this season. Authorities declared work stoppages across the country in addition to closing the 2,500-year-old Athens monument during the hottest afternoon hours.

Published on July 8, 2025, at 6:29 pm (Paris) Le Monde with AFP

News

Forest fire rages in southern France

Near the city of Narbonne, a forest fire the size of 2,000 rugby pitches forced a motorway to Spain to close on Tuesday.

Published on July 8, 2025, at 3:09 pm (Paris), updated on July 8, 2025, at 3:11 pm Le Monde with AFP

News

Flights suspended at Marseille Airport due to nearby wildfire

Some 700 firefighters were deployed on Tuesday to tackle the fire, which broke out in the town of Les Pennes-Mirabeau.

Published on July 8, 2025, at 2:58 pm (Paris), updated on July 8, 2025, at 9:00 pm Le Monde with AP and AFP

News

Texas flash flood: Death toll surpasses 100

Search-and-rescue teams continued on Monday to wade into swollen rivers and use heavy equipment to untangle trees as part of a massive search for missing people. With more rain on the way, the risk of life-threatening flooding is still high in Texas.

Published on July 7, 2025, at 3:26 pm (Paris), updated on July 8, 2025, at 8:36 am Le Monde with AFP

News

Texas floods leave at least 51 dead, while 27 girls remain missing as rescuers search the devastated landscape

Authorities were coming under scrutiny over whether the summer camps and residents in places long vulnerable to flooding had received proper warning and whether enough preparations had been made.

Published on July 4, 2025, at 11:48 pm (Paris), updated on July 6, 2025, at 5:17 am Le Monde with AP and AFP

News

California's Madre Fire expands to become the state's largest blaze this year

The Madre Fire, which broke out on Wednesday, exploded in size on Thursday, boosted by summer winds.

Published on July 4, 2025, at 3:21 pm (Paris), updated on July 4, 2025, at 3:29 pm Le Monde with AP

News

Record cold snap in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay leaves at least 15 people dead, causes power outages

Record low temperatures were recorded as far south as Chile's Atacama Desert, where snow fell for the first time in a decade, as well as in Buenos Aires and Montevideo.

Published on July 4, 2025, at 12:04 pm (Paris) Le Monde with AFP

News

US Environmental Protection Agency suspends 139 staffers over letter criticizing Trump policies

The letter, signed by more than 200 people, accused Administrator Lee Zeldin of pushing policies that endanger public health and the environment.

Published on July 4, 2025, at 3:48 am (Paris), updated on July 4, 2025, at 7:37 am Le Monde with AFP

News

European court says France has right to fine presidential portrait snatchers

Eleven activists had filed an appeal with Europe's top human rights court, arguing France had impeded their right to freedom of expression.

Published on July 3, 2025, at 5:43 pm (Paris), updated on July 3, 2025, at 5:45 pm Le Monde with AFP

News

EU unveils long-delayed 2040 climate target with contested flexibilities

Brussels announced it would stick to the objective announced last year of cutting emissions by 90% by 2040, compared to 1990 levels. The Commission proposed that states could count carbon credits purchased to finance projects outside Europe for up to 3% of their emission cuts.

Published on July 2, 2025, at 2:00 pm (Paris), updated on July 2, 2025, at 2:13 pm Le Monde with AFP

News

Two dead as France registers second-hottest June on record

'More than 300 people have been treated by firefighters and two have died following heat-related illnesses,' Ecology Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher said on Wednesday.

Published on July 2, 2025, at 11:57 am (Paris), updated on July 2, 2025, at 2:08 pm Le Monde with AFP

News

Two dead in Spain fire as heatwave scorches Europe

Authorities in the Catalonia region confined about 14,000 people to their homes on Tuesday due to two wildfires that broke out in the province of Lerida.

Published on July 2, 2025, at 7:49 am (Paris) Le Monde with AFP

News

Temperatures drop slightly in Europe as brutal heatwave nears end

Paris hit 40°C on Tuesday, but the high will drop to 35°C on Wednesday and to 28°C on Thursday.

Published on July 2, 2025, at 7:36 am (Paris) Le Monde with AFP

News

New record June high for Mediterranean Sea

Sea surface temperatures in the Mediterranean are currently 3°C higher than average for the same period compared to 1991-2020, with spikes exceeding 4°C around the French and Spanish coast, reported a French weather service.

Published on June 30, 2025, at 6:05 pm (Paris) Le Monde with AFP

News

Heatwave: Paris put on highest alert level Tuesday by French weather agency

Paris and 15 other departments were moved up to the red alert level. The peak temperature is expected to reach 41°C.

Published on June 30, 2025, at 5:14 pm (Paris) Le Monde with AFP

In Depth Subscribers only

Heatwave: Tricks to lower the temperature at home without air conditioning

Even if it is 40°C outside, you can stay cool without using air conditioning, which represents 10% of the world's electricity consumption.

Published on June 30, 2025, at 4:12 pm (Paris) Soazig Le Nevé

In Depth Subscribers only

Hyperthermia, dehydration, heatstroke: What impact does a heat wave have on the body?

Over time, high temperatures can cause headaches, confusion and slow motor function, especially in the elderly. Prevention involves staying hydrated and cooling down as much as possible.

Published on June 30, 2025, at 4:10 pm (Paris), updated on July 2, 2025, at 10:22 am Delphine Roucaute

News Subscribers only

Financial issues stall laborious climate negotiations in Bonn

The intermediate climate negotiations, intended to lay the groundwork for COP30 in Brazil this November, concluded yesterday. Once again, talks stalled over the issue of financial transfers between the countries of the Global North, historically responsible for global warming, and the countries of the Global South, which are bearing the consequences.

Published on June 30, 2025, at 3:10 pm (Paris) Audrey Garric

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