Will brutal wildfires force French leaders to take climate crisis seriously?

Wildfires have swept across France this week during the summer's fourth major heatwave, worsening air pollution alongside the flames. Green party leader Marine Tondelier cut short a national tour on medical advice, as smoke from a large wildfire near Gironde in the south-west posed a risk seven months into her pregnancy, per The Guardian. Tondelier said France's political class still has its head in the sand on the climate emergency. Campaigners are watching to see whether this firsthand experience of extreme weather shapes debate ahead of next year's presidential election, in which Marine Le Pen is expected to be a contender.

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