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CLIMATE CRISIS

MAPS: The parts of France set to be underwater as sea levels rise

The map of France is changing due to climate change. These are are primary areas in France that will be most impacted by rising tides:

Published: 15 November 2022 16:28 CET
MAPS: The parts of France set to be underwater as sea levels rise
Which parts of France are most at risk of rising sea levels? Photo: LOU BENOIST / AFP

France and its long coastline are unfortunately not slated to be spared from sea level rise. 

According to the latest IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) estimates – in the best case scenario – the average level of the ocean will rise by at least 28 cm by 2100. However, based on the planet’s current trajectory, experts consider it more likely that sea level rise could increase by between 63 cm to 1.01 metres, should humanity fail to decrease greenhouse gas emissions. 

Should oceans rise by one metre, many parts of France would be severely impacted. The American research institute Climate Central sought to simulate what the world would look like with such a rise in sea levels, highlighting in red the land most at-risk to be underwater.

From the coastal area near Montpellier (Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer) becoming a peninsula to many of La Vendée’s beautiful beaches under water, here is how the face of France could change as a result of one metre of sea level rise: 

The North

One metre of sea level rise would particularly impact the area from Calais to Dunkirk – a distance of almost 45 kilometres – as shown in the map below. Higher tides would cover areas up to 15-20 km inland, as well. 

In Normandy, the collapse of cliffs, like those in Étretat has been a sign of rising waters, Denis Lacroix, a representative from the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea told BFMTV. 

He added that while coastal erosion is one sign, the sea will not “rise like a bathtub,” and that first there will be “extreme weather events.”

Another part of the English Channel coastline, the coastline south of the chic coastal town of La Touquet to Ault stands to be eroded by water, with some higher altitude sections spared, though destined – in a scenario of one metre sea level rise – to become islands.  

That area includes the low lying Baie de Somme, and stunning villages such as Saint-Valery sur Somme and La Crotoy.

Parts of Normandy that could be impacted are the flood planes along the mouth of the Seine river near La Havre, and the national wetland park made up of the Cotentin & Bessin marshes, which is home to much wildlife and a diverse bird population on the Cotentin peninsular.

In Loire-Atlantique

Much of the mouth of the Loire river near Nantes will be under water amid these climate forecasts. Riverside parts of the city of Nantes will be impacted, though based on current projections city as a whole is set to mostly remain above water. 

In La Vendée

The map shows significant portions of red in the area north of La Rochelle, particularly the regional Park of the Marais Poitevin – known for its canals and wetlands.

Some of La Vandée’s stunning beaches, like Plage des Becs could be underwater in 2100, if waters go up by one metre.

According to Lacroix, sea level rise is “an accelerating phenomenon,” as evidenced by the fact that “in the last century, the rise in sea level was two milimetres per year, but over the last twenty years it has been four milimetres.”

In Gironde and Charente-Maritime:

Most of the coastline north of Bordeaux to Rochefort could be underwater by 2100.

One symbol of coastal erosion in Gironde is the building Le Signal, in Soulac-sur-Mer. When it was built in 1967, it was 200 metres from the shore, and in 2022 it was only about ten meters from the water. 

There is particular concern for the Lacanau area in Gironde, which has a population density on its coasts which is “2.5 times higher than the national average,” according to France’s ministry of environment. In the coming years, inhabitants in this area may have to be evacuated due to sea level rise.

On the Mediterranean

Finally, along the Mediterranean, the coastline of the Hérault département will be particularly affected. This area is mostly located near Montpellier, as shown below:

There is considerable risk for the Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer to become a peninsula over time. 

The map below from France’s Ministry of Ecology shows which parts of the country are at risk of rising sea levels, but also forest fires and flooding.

How will France will be affected by climate change, from forest fires to coastal flooding. Image: Ministry of Ecology

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CLIMATE CRISIS

New report warns of heat danger at Paris Olympics

A new report backed by climate scientists and athletes warns about the dangers of extreme high temperatures at this year's Paris Olympics - as the city has been experiencing increasingly severe heatwaves in recent years due to the climate crisis.

Published: 18 June 2024 12:50 CEST
New report warns of heat danger at Paris Olympics

Although the summer in northern France has so far been unusually damp and cool, the long-term forecast from Météo France says that France is likely to experience temperatures above seasonal norms this summer, including during the Games period of July, August and September.

The Rings of Fire report – a collaboration between non-profit Climate Central, academics at Britain’s University of Portsmouth and 11 Olympians – said conditions in Paris could be worse than the last Games in Tokyo in 2021.

It warned that “intense heat at the Paris Olympics in July-August 2024 could lead to competitors collapsing and in worst case scenarios dying during the Games.”

The study adds to a growing number of calls from sports people to adjust schedules and the timing of events to take into account the physical strain of competing in higher temperatures caused by the climate crisis.

Rings of Fire urges organisers of competitions typically held at the height of the northern hemisphere summer – such as the Olympics or the football World Cup – to re-think their scheduling.

They should also provide improved rehydration and cooling plans for athletes and fans to avoid the risk of heat stroke, the study argued.

The Paris Olympics, which run from July 26th to August 11th, followed by the Paralympics from August 28th to September 8th – are set to take place in what are usually the warmest months in the French capital which has been struck by a series of record heatwaves in recent years.

More than 5,000 people died in France as a result of searing summer heat last year when new local highs above 40C (104 Fahrenheit) were recorded around the country, according to public health data.

The city’s all-time temperature record of 42.6C was set during a heatwave in 2019.

A study in the Lancet Planet Health journal last May found that Paris had the highest heat-related death rates of 854 European towns and cities, partly due to its lack of green space and dense population.

Last summer, city planners ran a series of emergency planning simulations for when temperatures reach 50C, which is expected in the coming decades.

Grass roofs and siestas: How Paris is preparing for the day when the temperature reaches 50C

Rather than high temperatures, incessant rain is currently the bigger weather-related concern for organisers, with regular downpours in May and June leading to unusually strong currents in the river Seine and poor water quality.

The Seine is set to host a boat parade during the unprecedented opening ceremony being planned for July 26th, as well as the triathlon swimming and marathon swimming events – pollution permitting.

Organisers of Paris 2024 say they have built flexibility into their schedules, enabling them to shift around some events such as the marathon or triathlon to avoid the peaks of midday heat.

But much of the Games is set to take place in temporary stands that lack shade, while the athletes’ village has been built without air conditioning to reduce the Games’ carbon footprint.

“Sleep disruption due to heat has been cited in the build-up to the 2024 Games as a major concern by athletes, especially given the lack of air conditioning in the Olympic Village,” the report said.

Olympic teams have been offered the possibility of installing portable air-conditioning units in their accommodation, however, which many have opted to include.

One of the athletes who backed the Rings of Fire report, Indian triathlete Pragnya Mohan, said she had left her home country because of high temperatures, with the country recently reporting its longest ever heatwave.

“With climate change, the kind of heat that we experience has increased so much,” Mohan told reporters. “I am not able to train in my country. That is one of the reasons that I moved to the UK.”

The last Summer Olympics in Tokyo were widely thought to have been the hottest on record, with temperatures regularly above 30C coupled with 80 percent humidity.

Tokyo organisers moved the race walk events and two marathons 800 kilometres north of Tokyo in the hope of cooler weather that did not really materialise.

Despite a range of anti-heat measures including misting stations, many athletes struggled while performing, including Russian tennis player Daniil Medvedev who wondered aloud on court if he might die.

Speaking after Tokyo, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe, who wrote a foreword for Rings of Fire, warned that the “new norm” was competing in “really harsh climatic conditions”.

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