A-Infos (en) France, UCL AL #374 - Spotlight - Climate Change: Our House Is Burning, Let's Look at Capital (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

The summer of 2026 was marked by unprecedented heat waves and forest 
fires in France. And the situation is not expected to improve. There 
have been four times as many heat wave days in the last decade as in the 
1980s, and we can expect five times as many heat wave days per year by 
2050. --- The summer of 2026 was marked by unprecedented heat waves and 
forest fires in France. And the situation is not expected to improve. 
There have been four times as many heatwave days in the last decade as 
in the 1980s, and we can expect five times as many heatwave days per 
year by 2050.

Far from being a trivial matter, heatwaves are a real public health 
issue. A provisional tally as of July 22nd reports 7,300 deaths linked 
to the extreme heat this summer in France. Worldwide, nearly 500,000 
deaths per year are attributable to heat, according to the WHO, a figure 
that has increased by at least 85% in the last twenty years[1]. Rising 
temperatures promote ozone production, and forest fires contribute to 
the production of fine particulate matter. This air pollution 
contributes to the increase in respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. 
The intense heat can also cause nausea, headaches, cramps, difficulty 
concentrating, etc. A UN study also found that femicides increase by 28% 
during a heat wave[2]. 220,000 people were evacuated near Bordeaux 
following forest fires.

Megafires
There is one obvious initial observation regarding the state's 
management of fires, which is dominating the media: France has only 12 
Canadair water bombers, which is woefully inadequate. This is precisely 
why firefighters are calling for a day of action on September 29th to 
demand more resources after receiving "no concrete response" following 
their meeting on August 13th with Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez. While 
it goes without saying that the "industrial firefighting complex" needs 
to be developed, it remains only a limited palliative to a deeper 
problem. Indeed, in 2018, the Camp Fire megafire in California was only 
brought under control thanks to heavy rainfall, despite state-of-the-art 
equipment and firefighters considered among the most experienced in the 
world. As philosopher Joëlle Zask reminds us in Reporterre: "We can't 
stop a megafire[...]they die from natural causes"[3].

Therefore, we must look for a deeper cause of these megafires. Besides, 
of course, climate change, we must examine the fire risk factors: 
proximity of forests to urban areas, homogeneity of species, lack of 
brush-clearing animals, etc. In France, half of the private forests are 
monospecific, meaning they are composed of a single dominant tree 
species. The problem? 75% of French forests are privately owned, one of 
the highest rates in Europe. When a forest becomes a timber reserve from 
which maximum profit must be extracted, it ceases to be a complex 
ecosystem, the product of a multitude of interactions. Land use must be 
optimized to accommodate as many trees as possible, preferably 
fast-growing species like the maritime pine, which is known to be highly 
flammable. It is clear how this method of forest management contradicts 
preventative fire practices: prescribed burns, canopy breaks, etc.

Private forests, deprived of forests
This exploitation of forests is obviously driven by the State. Since 
2018, workers at the National Forestry Office (ONF) have been mobilizing 
against the industrialization of forests, job cuts, the increased use of 
contract workers, and the rise in state-imposed logging. Several marches 
were then organized, covering hundreds of kilometers and bringing 
together ONF (National Forestry Office) employees and local residents, 
culminating in a manifesto against the commodification of forests, 
co-signed by several trade unions and associations[4].

A national mobilization was organized by a coalition of professional 
firefighters' unions from September 26 to 29, with a demonstration in 
Paris on the last day.

Credits: CGT SDIS 33 (Gironde Fire and Rescue Service)

The situation is very similar with heat waves. Even though they have 
failed so far, the bourgeoisie and the state offer us a turnkey 
solution: air conditioning. This is how we witnessed the media frenzy 
surrounding the company ClimLoc, which had the brilliant idea of 
monopolizing air conditioning units to rent them out at exorbitant 
prices-kudos to them! But air conditioning for whom? On June 27, 
following the last-minute cancellation of Paris Pride, several groups 
occupied the Samaritaine department store to denounce air-conditioned 
capitalism. Shopping centers are perfectly equipped while nursing homes 
and hospitals desperately lack it. We must also mention places where air 
conditioning is not possible, such as outdoor work (construction, 
agriculture, etc.).

Techno-solutionism
This isn't about saying we shouldn't have air conditioning at all, but 
rather about more broadly criticizing the techno-solutionism that 
suggests simply expanding the industrial complex-the very one 
responsible for global warming-would be enough to produce more air 
conditioners, which would then meet market needs more than societal 
ones. Neoliberalism is incapable of considering other solutions. Yet, 
there are less frequently discussed palliative solutions: building 
insulation, greening urban areas, reducing the role of cars, and so on.

Because there's an elephant in the room, whether we're talking about 
forest fires or heat waves: it's global warming. Except among the most 
reactionary fringes, there's no longer any need to point out that this 
warming is human-caused. However, it's still necessary to demonstrate 
its link to capitalism. Yet the argument is simple: capitalism 
perpetually seeks to expand, but there is no infinite growth in a finite 
world. A radical change in the mode of production is therefore necessary 
to curb global warming.

So what can be done? When we see that there are nearly 19,000 deaths per 
year worldwide related to heat at work[5], unions have a crucial role to 
play in this period. Working conditions during heat waves are 
unbearable: premises unsuitable for high temperatures, working outdoors, 
complicated commutes, etc. Some tools already exist at our disposal: the 
2025 heat decree, the concept of serious and imminent danger, the right 
to refuse work, and the Single Risk Assessment Document (DUERP)[6]. But 
these tools remain limited in scope. For example, the heat decree allows 
for adjustments to working hours, but only in cases of non-compliance 
with obligations. The employer has eight days to comply, roughly the 
length of a heatwave.

The challenge then becomes linking the deterioration of working 
conditions to climate change in order to collectively develop demands: 
reduced working hours, remote work, and regular breaks. This collective 
process also opens the door to deeper questioning of the social utility 
of production itself. For example, in 2021, the closure of the GKN car 
axle factory in Florence led to a strong mobilization of workers, 
supported by local activism. This mobilization resulted in a 
reindustrialization project focused on recycling solar panels and 
producing cargo bikes. Beyond the techno-solutionist promises of the 
bourgeoisie, the real escape from the climate crisis lies in the 
self-organization of those most directly affected. And that is something 
we must build!

Rémi (UCL Paris)

Submit

[1]"Heat and health," World Health Organization, July 31, 2026.

[2]"The climate crisis is leading to an increase in gender-based 
violence," UN News, April 22, 2025.

[3]"Fires: 'We're planting trees that are like matchsticks,'" 
Reporterre, August 9, 2025.

[4]"Tronçais Manifesto - for the French forest, our common good," 
notably available on the SOS Forêt France website.

[5]"Heat at work: Implications for safety and health," International 
Labour Organization, July 25, 2024.

[6]The Single Document for the Assessment of Occupational Risks is a 
mandatory document that lists all the risks to the health and safety of 
employees in a company.

https://www.unioncommunistelibertaire.org/?Rechauffement-climatique-notre-maison-brule-regardons-le-capital
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