France recorded 'hottest summer ever' in 2026, environment minister says

France experienced its hottest summer on record in 2026, marked by heatwaves, drought and massive wildfires, the environment minister said on Thursday. "We have just lived through the hottest summer ever recorded since measurements began in 1900," Monique Barbut said at a presentation of the summer climate report, which for meteorologists covers June to August. France joins Belgium and Britain in recording their hottest-ever summers after a season that scorched Europe, the globe's fastest-warming continent. To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Cover image: Firefighter Avery Stark, of Cal Fire’s Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit, soaks the ground next to a bulldozer-cut containment line while battling the Gann Fire near Angels Camp on Tuesday, August 4, 2026. Four helicopters, 50 fire engines, eight water tenders, and 16 bulldozers were operating at the scene that day; by Thursday, the deployment exceeded 1,600 personnel. Stephen Lam/San Francisco Chroni - Stephen Lam 08:14 Scientist...