Paris heatwave turns rooftop apartments into ovens, endangering residents

Paris is experiencing a historic heatwave with daytime temperatures exceeding 40 °C and night temperatures around 25 °C. The extreme heat is especially hazardous for residents of top‑floor and attic apartments that sit directly beneath the city’s iconic zinc‑covered rooftops. Young tenants such as 23‑year‑old Amelie Kenney describe the apartments as "the worst week" they have endured, with windows offering little relief and no air‑conditioning in private homes.

Public‑health data show the danger is quantified: a study of the 2003 heatwave linked living under a roof to a more than four‑fold increase in mortality, and a 2023 Lancet Planetary Health analysis rated Paris as having the highest heat‑related death risk among 30 European capitals. Housing advocates point to zoning rules that protect the historic roofs but block modifications like insulation or shutters, leaving low‑income renters, often students, vulnerable and prompting calls for policy changes.