MOSCOW: France’s economic losses due to the heatwave could reach €10 billion- €15 billion (US$11.5 billion-US$17.2 billion), French Environment Minister Monique Barbut said, reported Sputnik/RIA Novosti.
“The direct and indirect costs of the summer heatwave are estimated at €10 billion to €15 billion,” Barbut said at an emergency meeting on Wednesday.
The minister added that it was difficult to accurately estimate the economic losses at this time, as the heatwave is still ongoing.
“However, it will undoubtedly be much higher than in 2022, as the heat wave is longer and more intense,” Barbut noted, adding that the damage in 2022 was estimated at €5 billion to €6 billion.
Europe is experiencing one of the worst heatwaves in years, with Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, and Greece hit the hardest. French President Emmanuel Macron said in July that the country was facing the highest number of wildfires this summer since the end of World War II. – BERNAMA-SPUTNIK/RIA NOVOSTI
