50°C Paris is no longer sci-fi

A cooling water spray in Paris. Eight of the 10 hottest summers recorded in Paris since 1900 occurred since 2015, and scientists say it will get worse, since climate change is warming Europe at more than twice the global average. — Dmitry Kostyukov/The New York Times

IMAGINE Paris at 50°C. The asphalt streets would melt in spots, making it virtually impossible for ambulances and buses to pass.

The lights and fans could cut out in neighbourhoods if underground cables burned or junction boxes shifted.