For generations, summer in Europe has been languid and dreamy, bringing fine weather and lengthy days on sunny beaches and terraces. But in 2026, the brutal reality of climate change forced its way into daily life.
"I felt a sense of the apocalypse this summer," said Cyril Chedeville, a 59-year-old from Bordeaux in southwestern France.
He was not alone.
Successive heat spells have roasted the continent since May, bringing temperatures of 40C and above -- and dragging drought and devastating wildfires in their wake.
Climate crisis: This photograph shows cows in a meadow dried out by the heat in Saint Pierre-des-Ifs, northwestern France on August 18, 2026. Photo: JOEL SAGET / AFP
