France's finance ministry said on 2026-09-02 that the record heatwaves and drought of summer 2026 will reduce France's 2026 economic growth by 0.1 percentage points. ^[1] Monique Barbut, France's Minister of Ecological Transition, stated on 2026-09-04 that France experienced its hottest summer since records began in 1900. ^[2] France experienced its hottest summer on record in 2026, marked by heatwaves, drought, and massive wildfires, according to Environment Minister Monique Barbut. ^[3] Economists warn that the 0.7% growth forecast for France in 2026 is unlikely to be reached after the economy contracted 0.2% in the first quarter and stagnated in the second quarter. ^[4] Officials from France's finance ministry told a parliamentary hearing in Paris that French agricultural production is expected to fall 8% in 2026 due to the drought and heatwaves. ^[5] A heatwave lasting from late July to August equaled the national record for the longest heatwave, with a duration of 23 days. ^[6] Monique Barbut stated that wildfires in late August had destroyed an area six times larger than the average of the last twenty years in the southwest of the country. ^[7] Scientists indicate that human-induced climate change has made extreme weather phenomena more intense and frequent. ^[8] France saw 53 days of heatwave conditions over the summer of 2026, which the weather service Meteo-France described as a completely unprecedented number. ^[9] Environment Minister Monique Barbut stated that by the end of August, forest fires had burned six times more area than the average of the past 20 years. ^[10]