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What did the Paris mayor do about the school heatwave?

Geoffroy Boulard, mayor of Paris's 17th arrondissement, ordered 50 Chinese-made air conditioners for public schools in his district. He posted a video on X showing the deployment. Classroom temperatures in France had climbed as high as 44°C, according to Global Times reporting on the emergency purchase.

The move came as an intense heatwave gripped much of western Europe in late June 2026. Few schools in France or Britain are equipped with air conditioning, leaving officials scrambling for fast solutions.

Why don't European schools have air conditioning?

Until recently, most European school years ended before the worst summer heat arrived. British and French schools finish in July — later than most U.S. schools, but still before the peak heat of August.

Climate change has pushed extreme temperatures earlier in the year. That means students are now sitting in aging buildings designed to hold in warmth, not keep out heat. As the New York Times reported, many of London's school buildings are decades or over a century old.