The following country profile is found in the Meister Consultants Group study: Floating Houses and Mosquito Nets: Emerging Climate Change Adaptation Strategies Around the World.
Summary
In recent years, an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme
weather has raised public awareness about the need for adaptation in
France. The heat wave in 2003, and the long periods of drought experienced
in the south of the country, have contributed to the view that France
needs to intensify its efforts to prepare for the impacts of climate change.
In response, France passed a national adaptation strategy at the end of
2006. Currently the development of a detailed adaptation plan is under
consideration, with the research institution ONERC (Observatoire National
sur les Effets du Réchauffement Climatique) leading the strategic planning
process. The national adaptation strategy emphasizes the importance
of analyzing the consequences of climate change and risk assessment.
There are numerous research programs that aim to provide the needed
data for further strategic planning. In France, great weight is attached to
economic and social aspects of adaptation. However, the implementation
of concrete measures has been limited to singular cases. For example, Paris
has taken precautions to be better prepared for future heat waves (p. 28).
