The French Way Blog

What: You are invited for a Drinks Party, 18 May 2070 at 17h00.

Where: Alibar Bar on the banks of the Seine River, Paris

Dress: optional

Refreshments and Hors d’Oeuvres served

 Anyway it’s now December 2010, and it’s snowing outside in Paris, and it’s as cold as a Nun’s kiss!

 I’ve just been reading this week the results of ONERC, the French ministry responsible for the research on Global Warming and how it can affect France, as well as the future planning required to cope with any possible climatic changes through to the year 2100.

A cold winter day at the Luxembourg Gardens, Paris

 A recent report released by ONERC states that they expect Paris in 2070 will have the same temperatures as in the south of Spain, and that the cold winter weather currently sweeping through Paris and France will be a thing of the past as this century comes to an end.

 I spent the summer of 2003 in France, when it was quite normal to have weeks on end of 40 degrees Celcius (104 deg F). I love the heat, but the effects of this heat were catastrophic in France with between 10,000 and 15,000 deaths recorded. Summers like this are going to become more and more “normal” and indeed governments will need to make provisions in order to cope with these changes.

 The government report also publishes some interesting figures that surprised me:

 Wine Harvest.

The wine harvest (vendange) in Champagne now commences two weeks earlier from when it did 20 years ago – this is a trend, not a one off inconsistency. In the Rhone Valley in the Chateaunuef du Pape appellation the wine harvest now begins on average three weeks earlier than they did 50 years ago. Another interesting fact here is that the alcohol content over this same period has increased by 0.8% – no doubt keeping some readers happy!

 Winter Frosts.

For those in the northern hemisphere, winter frosts are what you would expect now. Interestingly in the south of France in Toulouse they are having four days of frost less than experienced 10 years ago, and in the north in Nancy they are have 5 less frosts per winter than 10 years ago. When you are at home without suitable winter heating frosts can be most inconvenient but they also provide a valid control in orchards and vineyards for insects etc.

 So now heading back to the future you will want to know what to expect when you join me in May 2070 in Paris. Presently the average maximum temperature in the “City of Love” for May is 13 degrees Celcius (55 deg F), but when you join me it will be about 17 degrees Celcius (62 deg F). So it should be quite a pleasant evening outside on the bars that (by then) will all be lining the Seine River – we can muse at the families out fishing in the river, and all see if anyone can remember what a frost was like.

 So, put a note in your diary! Look forward to seeing you there!