Why Parisians are abandoning their homes and heading outdoors during the deadly heatwave | WION Decodes

France and rest of Europe is witnessing deadly heatwave and Parisians are flocking outdoors to tackle with the heat. While it is advised to avoid outside spaces in summers in India, parks and open spaces have been asked to be open 24 hours in Paris to help the residents amid extreme heat. As Parisians head outside, they resort to their peak summer habit - drinking - which in turn leads to health issues. To tackle the increasing hospitalisation, authorities banned public drinking and sale of alcohol in the weekends after evening hours.

As temperature soars making this summer unbearable for people in Europe, we look at why living indoors in Paris is impossible and why drinking had to be banned by authorities.

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Why is staying indoors becoming unbearable in Paris?

Most of the picturesque apartments in Paris use sheets of zinc as covering on their rooftops. Though zinc rooftops give Paris its iconic grey skyline and make the city's historic buildings visually striking, the material also has a major drawback during extreme heat. Zinc is an excellent conductor of heat, meaning it absorbs the sun's rays throughout the day and transfers that heat into the apartments directly beneath the roof. While this property is beneficial during the colder months, helping homes retain warmth in winter, it becomes a serious disadvantage during heatwaves.

While these zinc rooftops are part of a UNESCO-recognised cultural heritage, air conditioning remains extremely rare in Parisian apartments. Most of the city's buildings are protected by strict heritage preservation rules that limit structural alterations or the installation of visible external AC units. This forces Parisans to head outdoor during severe heatwaves. The design of many Parisian apartments has made the ongoing heatwave difficult to endure not only for locals but also for people of other nationalities. With daytime temperatures climbing above 40°C (104°F) and nights remaining as warm as 25°C (77°F), many residents and visitors say staying indoors has become almost unbearable.

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With a temperate climate, France is accustomed to relatively mild summers, where temperatures typically hover between 20°C and 30°C. The current heatwave, however, has shattered those norms, with temperatures crossing 40°C—well above seasonal averages. The persistent heat, including unusually warm nights, has made it difficult for buildings to shed accumulated heat, forcing many residents to seek relief outdoors.

Why do French people drink outdoors?

French people have a habit of sipping wine, beer, in summer time - a social ritual called 'l'apéro'. Derived from the Latin word aperire, which means "to open", the tradition is designed to "open" the appetite and unwind with friends or family before dinner. During the summer, this culture shifts directly onto outdoor, a specific habit known as prendre un verre en terrasse (having a drink on the terrace). Though, the irony is, most Paris apaqrtments do not have balconies and are extremely confined with no open spaces, such as living room, etc. With rising temperatures, and indoors becoming unbearable, people take to open space. Drinking alcohol in public isn't banned in France, so people resort to their habit. This becomes deadly as alcohol forces the body to lose fluids rapidly, leading to hospitalisation.