Heat wave
We've been having a heat wave in Lille the past couple days, which is scheduled to end tomorrow evening with some thunderstorms. The temperatures have only been in the mid 90's, with some humidity and little breeze, but it's high enough to have broken the record temperatures for yesterday and today. Of course, most homes (including mine), in France are dealing with the temperatures without air conditioning. I do not even have a fan. But I always marvel at the design of French apartment buildings, because if I open all the windows in this apartment, I get a steady breeze passing through that cools everything off. It was the same way in our second apartment in Lyon, where the draft could be so strong at times it would slam the windows shut violently, and I'd be afraid all the glass would shatter.
The other thing that struck me about the heat wave was that the forecast for today said that due to the stagnant air the last few days from the heat wave, there had been a huge buildup of pollution. Like in the US, an air quality alert was issued. But, unlike the US, this resulted in actual policy: for the full day today, you only had to pay once for unlimited use on the metro, buses, and trams. In Paris, parking was free in residential areas. All of this is to encourage people not to use their cars so as not to exacerbate the situation. What a novel thought!
The other thing that struck me about the heat wave was that the forecast for today said that due to the stagnant air the last few days from the heat wave, there had been a huge buildup of pollution. Like in the US, an air quality alert was issued. But, unlike the US, this resulted in actual policy: for the full day today, you only had to pay once for unlimited use on the metro, buses, and trams. In Paris, parking was free in residential areas. All of this is to encourage people not to use their cars so as not to exacerbate the situation. What a novel thought!