Swathes of Europe have suffered deadly heatwaves, withering drought and vast forest fires in recent months, while countries across the world have recorded historic temperature spikes.

"We all know that the summer we are experiencing is in many ways a turning point," said France's Minister for Ecological Transition Agnes Pannier-Runacher.

"It's a taste of what's to come, unfortunately, because heatwaves will be more frequent and more intense in the coming years," she said at a press conference.

The summer of 2025 was France's third hottest since the country's weather agency Meteo France began measuring temperatures in 1900. It ranked second in terms of the number of heatwave days.

The country has also suffered devastating fires, with one that raged in the Mediterranean region seen as the worst blaze in at least half a century, according to government data on area burned.