Samira, 35, a single mother, lives with her 10-year-old son on the 7th floor of an apartment building in Ris-Orangis, south of Paris. Her apartment lacks insulation and shutters. Direct sunlight throughout the day creates a suffocating environment, causing dizziness and a lack of oxygen. "The temperature inside is so high I feel like I'm going to die", she said. Each night, she sleeps only about two hours because she avoids turning on a fan for relief.

In France, household electricity prices have risen to over 0.25 EUR/kWh. For low-income individuals like Samira, who earns about 1,158 EUR per month, electricity bills could increase by tens, even hundreds of euros if they use cooling devices. This burden forces them to forgo using fans.

Her son, Issam, 10, had to stop attending school because it was among 1,800 educational facilities temporarily closed. "The attic classroom was 40 degrees Celsius, so we had to stop studying", the boy recounted.

Many buildings lack heat-resistant designs, severely impacting low-income residents. Photo: Ed Alcock/The Guardian.

This week, an extreme weather red alert covers more than 44 million people out of France's 67 million population. Daytime temperatures in some areas exceed 40 degrees Celsius and remain high throughout the night. Thirty-one provinces are under an orange alert, with over 90% of the French population facing temperatures of 39-41 degrees Celsius, extending from Brittany to the southwest. Meteorology experts stated the national temperature index, measured at 30 stations, reached 29.8 degrees Celsius on 23/6, the highest since 1947. Paris, with its dense population and insufficient heat-resistant infrastructure, becomes a high-risk area for heat-related health impacts in Europe.

Extreme weather increases air pollution, raises hospital admissions, and disrupts rail transport. Power outages have worsened living conditions for 68,000 households in the northwest region. Finistere authorities confirmed the incidents were caused by excessively high temperatures.

Roland, 20, in Paris, seeks shaded areas under trees to escape the heat, only daring to open his windows in the middle of the night. Photo: Ed Alcock/The Guardian.

According to data from the Fondation pour le Logement (Housing Foundation), about 50% of homes in France lack the ability to withstand high temperatures, and 66% of residents face difficulties living indoors during hot weather.

Maïder Olivier, a representative of the organization, stated that this situation most significantly affects suburban housing areas for low-income individuals. She said, "The lack of cooling spaces exacerbates difficulties for the poor". Residents in these areas often lack green spaces and the financial means for vacations.

In the town of Grigny, Aboubakar, 60, lives in a fourth-floor apartment where the indoor temperature reaches 40 degrees Celsius. "I'm suffocating in this house like an oven, but I have no money for a fan or shutters", he stated. During the day, he must go outside to seek shade under trees.

Many students also face similar difficulties. Roland, 20, chooses to eat breakfast on a park bench starting at 7 AM. He said, "We don't dare turn on the fan because we're afraid of the cost". Similarly, student Noah, 22, lives in a corrugated iron-roofed attic apartment in Paris. She recounted, "I only sleep four hours each night and have to soak myself in a children's pool on the balcony".

Noah, 22, has slept only four hours each day for the past week due to the heatwave. Photo: Ed Alcock/The Guardian.

Ines Seddiki, founder of the organization Ghett’up, observed that suburban youth bear the heaviest consequences, yet when they seek relief at beaches, they face prejudice, exposing discrimination in French society. Notably, several affluent towns west of Paris, such as Neuilly-sur-Seine, have issued bans on outsiders using municipal swimming pools.

"They suffer the most from the climate crisis despite not being its cause", Seddiki said.

Minh Phuong (According to The Guardian, Inquirer)