Six things to remember from the Court of Auditors report

The findings of the Court of Auditors are harsh. In his report on “Public Action in Favor of Adaptation to Climate Change”.Published on Tuesday 12 March, the rue Cambon Institute shows France’s significant shortcomings in this area. “Financial Court’s work highlights extent of progress”, she writes. The reforms concern both “data”that “Guess” And “Standards”She clarifies.

Having already noted, in February, the ski resort model J “running out of steam”, the Court of Auditors looks at a range of topics from housing to transport and health. With one objective: to be solid by putting ourselves at the level of citizens. “Many of the measures to be implemented to respond to the effects of global warming will change their lifestyles, their most essential aspects: food, housing, transportation, leisure, etc.”, warns the court. Francinfo returns to six themes in this extremely comprehensive report.

1The health risk is “still inadequately controlled”.

According to Public Health France, heat waves, which are increasingly common with global warming caused by human activities, caused about 33,000 deaths between 2014 and 2022. Despite policies implemented after the 2003 heatwave, “The number of deaths recorded during heat waves, particularly in 2020 and 2022 (about 2,000 and 2,800 more deaths, respectively), shows that health risks are still insufficiently controlled”Court of Auditors estimates.

To solve this situation, he recommends “Do the work needed to better understand the consequences of heat waves on the health of vulnerable people”No “Providing ourselves with the means to better understand the health status of the homeless”For development a “List of Drugs of Interest in Heat Wave Conditions” has “Distribute Healthcare Professionals Systematically”and “Conduct an inventory of the real estate of health, social and medico-social institutions to assess its adaptation to heat waves”.

2 Housing is not adequately protected against heat, floods and drought

The Court of Auditors applies for a “Habitat Adaptation to Climate Change”.especially to limit the risks associated with “Increased frequency and intensity of heat peaks”.. Mu total, 80% of the population lives in the area that will be exposedOver the next thirty years, has in between 16 and 29 Unusually warm days During the months of June, July and AugustShe asserts, Citing the INSEE study.

The authors believe that MaPrimeRenov “Only partially responds to the threat of heat peaks”, as only residences abroad can be eligible for a financial scheme for heat protection work. In August 2023, the Ministry of Housing declared itself in favor of generalizing support for work related to “summer rest”. The court has now invited the government “Confirm the integration of solar protection processes in the field of work eligible for support schemes for the energy renovation of housing”. Additionally, she regrets that the inclusion of flood risk mitigation in MaPrimeRenov remains for the time being. “remaining”.

The report also recommends accelerating experiments and research and development projects related to flood mitigation. “Acceleration of Soil Compaction and Swelling Phenomena”., caused by changes in rainfall and drought periods. The summary of the document recalls that more than half of the individual houses are located “moderately or highly exposed areas” At this risk, which weakens the foundations of buildings and causes cracks. Finally, she invites “Regularly spread awareness among common people” On the consequences of climate change on households.

3Cities began to adapt “lately”.

In addition to housing, urban spaces must also adapt to rising temperatures. Heat islands, which turn cities into furnaces, are a growing problem. The report thus underlines that Paris “European capitals most exposed to heatwave”.

“While they have been mandatory for almost ten years, urban inter-municipalities have adopted adaptation strategies only of late”, condemn the authors of the report. Additionally, the cost of adaptation measures to rising temperatures remains to be assessed “lacunar”.

“Available data shows that (…) the amount of expenditure incurred has been limited to date.”

Court of Auditors

In his report

The report, however, welcomes the steps taken to green cities, “Emerging Solution” The aim is to limit the effects of heat waves, but which is necessary “Be Part of the Big Way”. Development of green spaces and planting of trees “Do not make it possible to answer all the problems associated with the heatwave episode” And must “Linked to more effective measures in the short term”. On this topic, she calls for greater coordination among the various “actors including municipalities”.

4 The rail network is very sensitive to weather events

The Court believes that it is necessary “To Identify and Measure Adaptation Costs” Railway network and stations, today Sensitive “Weather Events”. she points out “obsolete” Certain infrastructures, such as tracks, are subject to the risk of deformation in case of extreme heat or in the event of rail breakage during periods of extreme cold. In 2022, climate crisis “19% of delay minutes generated thanks to SNCF Réseau”. “These disturbances could be multiplied by at least 2.2 or even 2.4 by 2050 and by 8 or even 11 by 2100”Auditors alert the court.

In this regard, Wise Man calls on various actors in the railway sector to establish a strategy “Structured Adaptation” That’s it “Supervised by the State”. This should be based on “Better Knowledge of the Operational and Financial Consequences of Climate Change”. The court also recommended the integration of climate forecasts In “National Standards and Benchmarks for Design of Components of Railway Network and Stations”..

5The consequences on the evolution of the French coast are not sufficiently anticipated

French coastlines are changing under the combined effects of global warming and sea flooding. “Knowledge of coastal erosion is still incomplete but already alarming”, notes the Court of Auditors. Draw attention to the consequences of this problem “Insufficiently Expected”, underlines that the activities and goods that will be affected by coastal movement by 2050 are still poorly known. As with the estimate of the economic effects of this event, which remains “very fragmented” And must be corrected, when the sages note “The issues involved amount to billions of euros”.

It is unprepared “Many areas affected by coastal erosion are still not covered by the Coastal Risk Management Plan” and so, “Urbanization May Continue in Threatened Areas”. Among the cities concerned, absent from the list of climate and resilience laws adopted in 2021, we find Berk (Pas-de-Calais), Plomeur (Morbihan), Royan (Charente-Maritime), Fosse-sur-Mer (Boches-). du-Rhône), Saint-Tropez (Var), Saint-Cyprian (Pyrenees-Orientales) or even Bonifacio (South Corsica). The Court of Auditors, however, welcomes the actions taken in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, a region which, according to it, is isolated, “Through comprehensive and uniform coverage in local action plans”.

6 Nuclear fleets and electricity transmission networks are very fragile

Nuclear Power Plant Represents the third largest source of water consumption in France (12% of total consumption), behind agriculture (58%) and drinking water (26%). Drought episodes, increasingly frequent and severe under the effects of global warming, constitute periods of vulnerability for nuclear power plants, which need to draw and release water from rivers to operate their cooling systems. During periods of extreme heat, Nuclear power plants shut down regularly, Because the water they release exceeds the maximum temperature set by the Nuclear Safety Authority.

To avoid this situation, the Court of Auditors advises “Consolidate and Update the Scientific Basis Justifying Regulatory Limits on Thermal Discharges”While developing “Research and Implementation of Water-Efficient Cooling Systems”. For new reactors under construction, he strongly recommends that operators anticipate the design and location “Regarding Water Management” And “Climate-Related Obstacles”.

The power transmission network is also vulnerable. According to the Court of Auditors, “Episodes of extreme heat and flooding, more frequent in the context of climate change, are likely to affect electricity networks”. To limit these risks, Wise Men, among other things, encourages the executive to modify the order that sets. “Technical conditions to be met by electrical energy distributors to take into account the evolution of risks associated with climate change”.