France

the survival capsule that arrives from France

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In these times of geopolitical tensions and natural disasters that are increasingly frequent and in unexpected places, having a refuge from possible catastrophes is an idea that sounds better and better. In fact, the EU recommends have a survival kit to “be able to survive for at least 72 hours.” The French startup Momentum Technologies is developing has detected this need and already has up to three portable survival capsules in its catalog ready to use anywhere, no matter what happens. French survival capsules. They are called LifePods and aesthetically they look similar to the cabins of many attractions, although if you ride what will be outside it will be anything but fun: The B01 is designed to offer ballistic and industrial protection. It is a ground capsule for up to two people, armored against bullets, explosions and fires. The W01 is a floating capsule designed for tsunamis and floods and can accommodate up to four people. The Q01 is still a concept, but it will serve to protect its occupants during earthquakes and will serve up to three people. Why laptops? Building security infrastructures is not something new, but the most interesting thing about these capsules compared to fixed construction bunkers is that they are modular, transportable and standardized, which allows them to be stacked in warehouses, they fit in containers, which facilitates transport by trucks or even helicopters and easy and quick deployment by emergency forces or administrations. In detail. The B-01 has structural armor made of high-hardness ballistic steel and according to the company, its panels have exceeded the international VPAM PM7 standard, a recognized standard for resistance to high-speed military projectiles. As for the W-01, its mechanism to stay afloat does not depend on engines or complex mechanical systems that can fail at critical moments: it is covered with 5083 marine aluminum, Kevlar and polymer and has a hydrodynamically stable design, so it uses its own natural buoyancy. The price range ranges between 29,000 and 40,000 euros, without shipping or installation and these capsules are aimed more at governments, security forces and institutions rather than individuals. The company’s roadmap details that this year they will be at fairs such as VivaTech and Eurosatory, the first deliveries will begin in 2027 and then they will carry out the development of the Q01. Yes, but. The concept of a prefabricated bunker is coherent, it already exists and in fact responds to a real demand, but it still has pending issues such as obtaining complete official certifications for the finished capsules as an integral system and in real conditions. In Xataka | The threat from Russia is taking Europe to something unprecedented: from the bunkers of the Cold War to bunkers anywhere In Xataka | A secret Nazi bunker in Germany hides the most sought-after treasure on the entire planet: hundreds of tons of rare earths Cover | Momentum Technologies

They stay for free in luxury houses and castles throughout France

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Every few months, Claudine and Jean-Louis, a retired couple living in Aveyron, in the south of France, pack their bags to start some somewhat peculiar vacation. Sometimes their destination is a castle in the Saône-et-Loire region. Others, a house with a pool in French Provence. They are not millionairesbut no one charges them to stay in those luxurious properties. In return, the retired couple only has to give to eat a catwater a garden and collect mail from people they barely know. They have been doing it for twelve years and they told it in Le Figaro Emploi like someone describing any routine. Behind these apparent luxury vacations, there is a system with clear rules and an unexpected reason: they have to go spend the summer in palaces and mansions with pool because your retirement pension it wasn’t enough for them to go on vacation. The trick has a name: home-sitting The name sounds very modern, but in reality the idea is as old as asking a family member, neighbor or friend to stop by from time to time to water your plants or feed the cat during your vacation. In the case of home-sitting, that caregiver is not your neighbor, but rather they may have to travel across the country to water your plants, so the incentive is to allow them to stay free in your house while the order lasts. It is an exchange in kind in which there is no money involved. The retired couple has been using DomSittinga French platform specialized in this type of situation, designed only for retirees. Each assignment lasts from a few days to several weeks, and the owner usually explains the tasks to be carried out and shows the house in person before leaving on vacation. “Without DomSitting, we simply would not be able to travel,” Claudine declared to the French digital. They don’t put just anyone in your house Entering this world is not automatic. At the end of the day it is about bring a stranger into your house. As a control measure, they ask for a clean criminal record and insurance to cover possible damage to the home. Nomadorthe most used platform in France outside the exclusive circuit for retirees, requires verification of the DNI or passport and covers the home with insurance of up to 50,000 euros for damages. Once the profile is approved, the retiree can choose between assignments spread throughout France, and sometimes also extend to Switzerland or the Netherlands. Before each stay they sign a contract with specific rules, such as not receiving guests in the “borrowed” house. The assigned tasks are simple: walk the dog, water pots, make sure everything works. Nothing that a seventy-year-old retiree can’t do without effort. Word of mouth of this “trick” to stay in luxury villascastles or mansions during the summer has made it spread like wildfire. A French travel YouTuber posted a video from a villa in Nantes with a jacuzzi that, according to her, she “could never have afforded” on her own. His only tasks were to water a huge garden and feed Melchior, the house cat. He paid about 30 euros for three months of access to Nomador and chained five weeks of free accommodation in different destinations. Vacations within reach of retirees As indicated in their interview with the French media, Claudine and Jean-Louis’ joint pension is around 2,400 euros per month. It is not a low figure, but it does not leave much room for frequent getaways, taking into account the prices in France. According to the latest data As of 2025 from the French Government’s statistical agency, the average pension of a retiree in France is 1,666 euros gross, about 1,541 euros net. And today the country has 17.2 million retired people. The home-sitting alternative allows them to travel to other cities in the country, they do not pay rent, electricity, gas, or water in the place where they stay. They also hardly spend any money on their own home while they are away. Your vacation expenses only involve day-to-day gas and food. Claudine calculates that They save about 5,000 euros a yearmoney that previously went into hotels or vacation homes that never they could have afforded. In Xataka | Billionaires and celebrities have a new way to make money with their mansions: renting them to their fans Image | Unsplash (Alejandra Cifre González, 冷毛)

Renfe thought of France as its great business for the future. Already looking at Portugal thanks to a 19th century decision

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“Portugal is a great opportunity for Renfe.” These are the words that summarize the company’s intentions for the medium-term future, according to Expansion. The newspaper assures that the Ministry of Transportation aspires to turn the neighboring country into the company’s new big business. And the secret is in its track width. “A great opportunity”. “Portugal represents a great opportunity for Renfe. With the 15 units of the Series 106, it will have 30 high-speed trains of variable gauge to which the 13 compositions of the new Series 107 will have to be added in the coming months. In total, 43 trains that are also intended to be approved for circulation in Portuguese territory.” These are the words with which, according to Expansionthe Ministry of Transport defends the change in strategy outside the Spanish borders. The company has been looking for a place in France for some time but This country is putting up all possible barriers to hinder its expansion through French territory. The alternative now passes through Portugal and the gauges have a lot to do with it. The Avrils. At the beginning of July, Talgo and Renfe reached an agreement regarding their Avril trains. These trains have been a headache for Renfe because Talgo has delivered them late, they have presented numerous breakdowns and incidents and they even had to be removed from Madrid-Barcelona because they cracked. The great theoretical advantage is that they are trains that, with the necessary equipment, can jump between the Iberian and international gaugethe European standard for high speed. This allows them to be the only trains that operate the Madrid-Galicia without the need to transfer between trains. This gives it a strategic advantage over Ouigo and Iryo in the face of the upcoming liberalization of these routes. In the agreement, Renfe and Talgo decided that the Avril trains that operate with international gauge were going to be adapted to be able to make this track jump. The cost exceeds 130 million euros but it will allow Renfe to move its trains throughout the national territory… or the entire Iberian Peninsula. A strategic change. With the announcement of this agreement, from the Ministry of Transport they indicated that “Renfe “It will be the only operator with the capacity to provide international high-speed rail services with Portugal, which gives it a clear competitive advantage to lead the Iberian train market.” The phrase is not coincidental. The initial intention was to dedicate some of the trains received from Talgo to France, but the company is encountering so many problems in homologating them that it has shifted its projection to Portugal. And the Portuguese country seems to be a perfect market for the company taking into account its track widths. And the connection between Madrid and Lisbon, which should be completed in 2030 but reach minimum travel time in 2034it has to be built under instructions from the European Union using international gauge. However, the Lisbon-Porto line is being built with Iberian gauge, which limits the Madrid-Lisbon-Porto connection to a single train. The Iberian exceptionality. The situation is complex. The Portuguese railway, like the Spanish one, grew around the Iberian gauge. This isolated both countries from the rest of the continent in this sector but the European Union is working so that the exceptionality is, in part, eliminated. That is why in the agreement reached in October 2025 there is the obligation to bring the international width to Madrid-Lisbon. However, nothing has been said of the high-speed line that Portugal is building between Lisbon and Porto. This line is supported by Iberian gauge and will reach the Spanish border with said gauge. This makes it very difficult for new companies to enter.as we have seen in Galicia. But Renfe has the ace up the Avrils’ sleeve. And since these trains can jump between gauges, Portugal opens up as a very attractive market to expand operations, with trains that can cover Madrid-Oporto passing through Lisbon. Something that no other company in the world can do right now.. Photo | Annie Spratt and Nelson Silva In Xataka | Spain aspires to its most ambitious railway challenge: Madrid-Barcelona in less than two hours. And you have already taken the first step

How to watch Spain – France: date and time of the World Cup semi-final match, and where you can watch it on any device

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Let’s explain to you How and where you can watch Spain’s match against France. This is the semifinals of the 2026 World Cup, a match of the highest level that could well be worthy of the final, in which two of the great candidates for the title face each other. Let’s make the article simple. First we are going to tell you the date and time to which this match is played. And then, we will tell you what your options are to be able to watch it from any device. Date and time of Spain – France Spain’s match against France will take place today, Tuesday, July 14. Both teams will face each other at the AT&T Stadium in the state of Texas, which during the tournament is being called Dallas Stadium. This semi-final will be played at 9:00 p.m. in Spanish peninsular time8pm in the Canary Islands. There can only be one left, and the winner will face the team that wins England – Argentina in the grand final tomorrow. Where to watch Spain – France As we have explained to you when we told you where you can watch the 2026 World Cupas it is a match for the Spanish National Team, you will be able watch it for free live through La1. This will allow you to see it both on DTT and on mobile phones or browsers through RTVE Play. Obviously, the party It will also be issued in the payment options that you could have to watch all the World Cup matches. It will be broadcast on DAZN and you will be able to watch it on any device if you have it contracted. You can also see it on the DAZN Mundial channel, available on both Movistar Plus and Orange TV. In Xataka Basics | Apps for football results: the best 14 applications to receive notifications and see match statistics

If France loses against Spain, at least it can console itself by recovering Spanish territory in the Basque Country. Will do it in 16 days

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If France loses against Spain in the World Cup semi-finalsin just 16 days you will have a little consolation. Yes, on August 1 it will recover, in a completely peaceful and automatic manner, the administration of a Spanish territory in the heart of the Basque Country. It will not be a sporting revenge or a conquest, but rather the replacement planned for more than a century and a half of Pheasant Islanda tiny islet that has become one of the most unusual symbols of peace in Europe. A curious “revenge”. While Spain and France once again measure their strength on the playing field, there is a place where the rivalry between both countries is resolved in a way much less common. If the French are defeated, the calendar reserves them a curious compensation: next August 1 they will take over for six months the administration of Pheasant Island, an islet located in the Bidasoa River, between Irun and Hendaye. In essence, it does not change ownership or nationality in the strict sense, but it does authority changes who manages it, in a ritual that has been repeated every year with almost clockwork precision since the 19th century. As small as it is enormous in symbolism. Pheasant Island is barely between 130 and 200 meters long and its surface changes slightly depending on the riverbed, oscillating between about 2,000 and 6,800 square meters. It is completely uninhabited, closed to the public almost all year round and does not even house pheasants, despite what its name indicates. However, its historical importance is immense because for centuries it was the setting chosen to resolve some of the most delicate diplomatic episodes between the Spanish and French crowns. Meeting of Louis XIV and Philip IV on Pheasant Island in 1660 (Meeting of the two kings on Pheasant Island, painting by Jacques Laumosnier) The islet that ended a war. Long before becoming a shared territory, the island was already considered an neutral ground. There the exchange of King Francis I of France for his children took place in 1526 after the battle of pavia and, decades later, the exchange of princesses between both monarchies. But the decisive episode came in 1659, when Spain and France negotiated and signed in that same place. the Treaty of the Pyreneesthe agreement that ended more than two decades of war and established much of the border that both countries continue to share today. A year later, the island also hosted the wedding between Louis XIV and Maria Theresa of Austria, daughter of Philip IV, definitively becoming a symbol of reconciliation. In 1861, the two neighboring countries erected a monument on the island in commemoration of the Treaty of the Pyrenees. The solution was to share it forever. That symbolic value ended up legally crystallizing almost two centuries later. The Treaty of Bayonne of 1856 established that the island would belong “individually” to both countries, giving rise to what is usually considered the smallest condo of the world. Since then, Spain administers the islet between February 1 and July 31, while France does the same between August 1 and January 31. The handover is not simply administrative: authorities from both countries celebrate an official ceremony in which the transfer is formalized, maintaining a tradition that has been carried out without interruptions for more than 160 years. There are others, but none of them work like that. The concept of international condominium is not exclusive to Pheasant Island. There are other territories jointly administered, such as some river areas between Germany and Luxembourg, the Gulf of Fonseca shared by Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua, the Brcko district in Bosnia and Herzegovina or even Antarctica under the Antarctic Treaty. However, none of them reproduces a system as striking as that of Bidasoa: a strict alternation every six months, ceremonial and perfectly regulated, in which management passes from one country to the other without disputes, claims or diplomatic tensions. An example of cooperation. The idyllic image of the islet contrasts with some of the current problems on the Franco-Spanish border. In recent years the Bidasoa River has become at a passing point for numerous migrants trying to reach France, and several of them have lost their lives trying to cross its waters. This reality reminds us that the border continues to be a sensitive spacealthough precisely for this reason Pheasant Island retains an even greater value: it demonstrates that a territory born of a war can be transformed, over generations, into a mechanism of peaceful cooperation. The biggest victory between the two was never played in a stadium. Semifinals, finals and sports rivalries always end with a winner and a loser. Pheasant Island represents just the opposite. It was born from one of the great European conflicts of the 17th century, but today it works thanks to an agreement that neither of the two countries questions and that is renewed twice a year with absolute normality. Therefore, if France ends up falling today against Spain, it will always be able to say that the defeat was short-lived: Just sixteen days later you will once again administer a small piece of territory located between both countries, the same place where centuries ago they decided that the best way to end a war was to learn to share the map. Image | ZaratemanJacques Laumosnier, Iñaki LL In Xataka | Spain does not wait for France: it is studying a huge submarine cable with distant Ireland to stop being an energy island In Xataka | It’s in France and the sea swallows it twice a day: this is the road where you risk your car if you don’t look at the clock

It turns out that in France there is a road that the Atlantic floods twice a day. By crossing it, you risk a ransom

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On the Cantabrian coast in the summer it is relatively common for a tourist’s vehicle to end up taking a dip when they park where they shouldn’t, but in the Passage du Gois In France there is no surprise factor: the road sinks when the tide rises, something that happens twice a day. Given the risk, it would be worth considering closing that route and using the alternative Noirmoutier bridgebut there are many people here who have come to play: in 2021 exactly 387,823 vehicles passed by, according to data from the Noirmoutier Tourist Office. If you’re one of those people who ventures out, the landscape is already iconic: the Tour de France has started there on several occasions. Now there is a road, now there is not. The Passage du Gois is 4,125 kilometers long and runs through Bourgneuf Bay, literally in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. On one side is the island of Noirmoutier and the connection with the rest of the continent takes place in Beauvoir-sur-Mer, near Nantes. This infrastructure belongs to the D948 network of the Vendée department. The passage or not is determined by the tides: according to the tidal coefficient That day, the road is covered by between 1.30 and 4 meters of water at each high tide. The Passage du Gois on Google Maps To pass or not to pass, that is the question. Step recommendations from the local tourist office are enough to make you think twice before crossing: if the tide coefficient is high, you have 90 minutes before and after low tide. When the coefficient is low, the margin is reduced so much that it is recommended to cross only at the exact moment of low tide. If you measure wrong, you’re risking it: four kilometers can be fatal. The good news is that Since the 19th century there have been nine safety beacons where you can leave the car and wait for the tide to go out or the emergency services to arrive. Spoiler: every year there are cars that end badly. Everything is signposted, but the authorities They have encountered another enemy unexpected: the GPS, which does not indicate low tides or weather conditions. Be very careful if you are one of those people who follows what Google Maps says to the letter. The movements of the tides in the Passage du Gois. Marine Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service Why build a road there?. Short answer: because nature put it there. Not so short answer: the origin of the Passage du Gois is geological: it was formed by the convergence of two opposite currents, one from the northwest influenced by the Loire estuary and another from the south influenced by the Atlantic. Both are found on the island and slow down there, producing a phenomenon known as wantijthat is, the deposition of particles at that point of collision of the currents, which causes the seabed to rise until it forms that natural back on which the roadway was planted. Building it was not easy or fast. Paving the road lasted five yearsfrom 1935 to 1939, which sounds truly outrageous even though it is almost a century old. The reason is that the works had to be carried out during low tide, which greatly limited the daily work time to two daily periods in a period of about two hours. From then on, the road was passable for vehicles on its already characteristic cement slabs. Since then, several sections have been subject to different paving tests that have never come to fruition. A future that looks very blue black. The Passage du Gois floodable road is neither the first nor the longest, but it is one of the first candidates to disappear in the immediate future. Considering sea level rise projections provided by the IPCC of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, will be between 0.38 and 0.77 meters by 2100, with different emissions scenarios starting in 2050. This implies that roads like this will see their safe operating window progressively reduced, making it increasingly unviable and dangerous. In Xataka | “We have six kilometers that have melted due to the heat”: in the face of extreme temperatures, France needs to Spanishize its roads In Xataka | If we already feared about the state of our roads, we have one more reason to worry: the price of asphalt is skyrocketing Cover | Pinpin and Florian Pepellin

In a display of technical superiority, France has just invented traditional white towns. We, however, have forgotten about them

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At this time of year, in the hardware stores of the French Midi, it is impossible to find a very specific product: ‘blanc de Meudon’, a classic cleaning product in French drugstores since the 18th century and which in Spain would be equivalent to traditional crushed chalk. And no, it’s not that they have a sudden fever to have everything clean and spotless. As we said in Magnetis that in the middle of a heat wave, with maximum temperatures above 40 degrees and blackouts in much of the country, thousands of French people discovered that they could mix this powder with water and paint their windows with it. With the milky glass, the light reflects and the houses could shave a few degrees off the country’s struggle with climate change. In a matter of days, in fact, it has gone viral. And does it work? Of course it works. Chalk is calcium carbonate, a pigment that barely absorbs light and therefore reflects almost all solar radiation. It’s the same logic Purdue ultrawhite paints or the whitewashed towns that dot the Mediterranean. These are things that seem basic to us, but that no one thinks seriously about until the thermometer goes completely crazy. Luckily, ‘blanc de Meudon’ is widely used in the country. The other option would have been to pay attention to the Loughborough University and start spreading yogurt on the outside of the windows. According to the researchers’ calculations, with the “lactic approach” the temperature of the houses dropped by 0.6 degrees on average (and up to 3.5 on sunny days). A lot of laughter, but they still found a different approach, right? No. The data is clear: “complete shielding” with blinds, curtains or even aluminum foil lowers the internal temperature by 5 to 6 degrees, almost double that of yogurt or chalk. For this reason, images of Paris with thermal blankets on the windows have also gone viral. However, this is only the most striking curiosity. If I bring up the French fever for painting the windows, it is because there is something more interesting hanging from that problem: that, little by little, we are forgetting that architecture is something that has to adapt to the place where it is. All cities are the same city. For years, walking through the center of a European city has been a very curious experience. It doesn’t matter if it’s Paris, Lisbon, London, Prague or Berlin, they all look more and more alike. They are mimicking. They are losing their local peculiarities to repeat over and over again the same franchises or international stores: Primark, Zara, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Ale Hop or Calzedonia… But it doesn’t just happen in the centers, of course: experts have been wondering for years why all new constructions look the same regardless of which part of the country (or the world) hosts these new buildings. In Spain, specifically, ‘zebras’ have become a huge problem. A decade ago there was a very interesting debate about how the doctors’ series had promoted a whole series of practices that were dangerous for health professionals and patients. Things like wearing a stethoscope around your neck or not wearing anything below your elbows are simple rules that the cultural image of TV doctors eroded (and caused problems). With architecture and urbanization the same thing happens. A pending reflection. Often, when we decide to conserve our architectural heritage, we choose to protect unique buildings. And it makes sense, mind you. The problem is that, along the way, we forget about techniques, structures and decisions that are, in reality, profound adaptations to the climate in which we find ourselves. That Mediterranean towns are white is not a whim, nor is it a whim that their houses have the structure they have. It is true that some of these characteristics are due to technological limitations of the time in which they were built, but not all. And that is the heart of the problem: if we do not start thinking about our urban heritage as a tool, we will find ourselves in a few years painting the windows white. And, in short, we will not have searched for it by hand. Image | Anthony DELANOIX / Veronika Hradilová In Xataka | Beyond gazpacho and salmorejo: Spain’s hidden summer dishes that are crying out to become popular

The wind industry has been dreaming for years of a turbine that can be assembled without concrete or machinery. France has said ‘hold my cubata’

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When we think about wind energy, the first thing that comes to mind is turbines with huge shovels that we usually see in the distance when driving on some highways in the country or the infographics of Chinese companies with XXL towers for marine plants. In France, a designer has decided to rethink those ideas and become a question: What if we could have a light, modular wind turbine that did not require complex (and very expensive) installations and was also recyclable and scalable, so it would be useful for both self-consumption and industry? The result is Wind to Watt. Wind power without megaprojects. we like them the megastructures. It’s no secret. That is why it is not strange that when we talk about wind (both onshore and offshore) the projects that resonate the most are those that involve huge turbines, gigantic towers and XL shovelslike the model of 153 meters and almost 90 tons devised by the Chinese company Dongfang Electric (DEC). In the sector, however, there are people who work with another approach: new modular wind turbines that make wind power popular at the domestic leveljust as it has been doing (for many years now) photovoltaics. Squaring the circle (wind). A few years ago the French designer Fabien Brun decided to move in that same direction, that of scalable wind power, asking itself some questions: Would it be possible to design a light, modular turbine, easy to transport, economical, recyclable and that also does not require complicated installations, such as concrete platforms capable of supporting large towers? They are not minor questions. Quite the opposite. They address some of the main challenges that wind power faces, such as how to make installations cheaper or what the hell to do with tons and tons of blades that reach the end of their useful life and are made with fiberglass, carbon, resins and other compounds that complicate their recycling. There are those who estimate that in 2030 only in Europe there will be more than 50,000 wind turbines that will have reached their useful life period, which is usually estimated at 20 years. The result: Wind to Watt. The result of those questions is Wind to Wattwhich is presented as “the first 1 kW wind turbine without the need for civil works, designed for mass production and global scalability.” Unlike conventional wind turbines, what Brun proposes is a light structure made of aluminum tubes and plastic canvas, which has two great advantages. First, it simplifies and speeds up assembly. Second, it prevents you from having to prepare concrete bases or alter the terrain before installing it. “Silent and minimal impact”. Those responsible for Wind to Watt also claim that by using tubes and tarpaulins it reduces costs, facilitates transportation and is manufactured with recyclable materials. They also argue that the generator can be adapted to any type of context, both on land and in marine parks, and that it does not generate noise pollution. “Its operation is silent and has minimal visual impact,” ditch from the company. What about power? The team ensures that their turbine is scalable and they offer six different models. The most basic and smallest measures 1×2 m, generates 0.3 kW and is designed primarily for residential use and self-consumption. The largest measures 10×20 m, has a power of 62.4 kW (more than 1,500 kWh/day) and those responsible assure that it serves to supply energy networks. Of course, in your catalog They include smaller models, 10.4 kW or 20.8 kW, theoretically designed for light industry or data centers. As far as prices are concerned, the company assures that the cost per kW installed is around 2,500 euros and its maintenance costs about 50 euros per year. According to the calculations of those responsible, it saves 500 euros per year and the investment is recovered after five years, a fifth of its useful life (25 years). What phase is it in? It still has a way to go to become a widespread solution, but those responsible defend the path they have already taken. “The company, which has been technically and commercially validated at an international level, is entering the industrialization and commercial structuring phase,” points out Brun, who insists that the turbine is designed “for mass production and global deployment without heavy infrastructure.” Their goal is to begin their pilot deployment this year. Images | Wind to Watt In Xataka | Renewable, coal or nuclear: where each country in the world gets its electricity from, in a detailed graph

Air conditioning is the new great political weapon in France: why environmentalists and the extreme right are fighting over it

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The suffocating heat waves that are punishing Europe have caused something unthinkable a few years ago in France, since air conditioning has become a state weapon. In a country historically reluctant to artificial air conditioning, the extreme increase in temperatures has had the ceiling fans and blinds drawn are no longer enoughand in the face of the stress of a population not accustomed to temperatures around 40 ºC, promises have appeared. A debate. According to a recent analysis of the BBCthe debate on air conditioning has dynamited French political lines. On the one hand, the political party led by Marine Le Pen has put on the table a “climate plan” that defends almost universal air conditioning. On the other hand, the green block, historically opposed to these devices due to their environmental impact, has had to swallow saliva and admit that, in certain cases, air conditioning is already an “inevitable” measure. What is promised. To understand the magnitude of the debate, you have to look at the numbers. Le Pen’s party, called the National Group, has proposed a zero-interest loan fund of 20 billion euros so that between 30 and 40 million homes can install air conditioning systems such as reversible heat pumps and improve their insulation. And we are facing a great political strategy, because logically, in the midst of suffocating heat, promising aid to have a tool that reduces temperatures at home is a magnet for votes. However, these measures clash with the climate adaptation plans that are in force in the French country. In Xataka France has been determined to rob Spain of its position as a data center power in Europe The climate problem. The environmental bloc is at a crossroads, since massive air conditioning triggers energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions if the network is not 100% renewable or nuclear. But denying air conditioning to the vulnerable population, such as in hospitals, is political suicide and an unaffordable public health risk. Hence his speech has veered from prohibition to resignation to the “inevitable.” The poor adaptation. If we go to the more technical side of this debate, local media such as, for example, Le Monde or the Institute of Climate Economics have been categorical in classifying the mass adoption of air conditioning under the term “maladaptation”. This means that a short-term solution to climate change is being proposed that will end up aggravating the problem in the long term. Air conditioning is the textbook example, since, as experts point out, an air conditioner does not “destroy” heat, it simply removes it from the interior of the home and spits it out onto the street. A vicious circle. Climate models in dense cities like Paris have shown that if all buildings turned on the air conditioning at once during a heat wave, the temperature outside could rise by an additional 1°C to 2°C, further exacerbating the problem. But also, while people who can afford it cool off in their living rooms, people without resources find themselves on a much more aggressive “urban heat island.” In Xataka In the midst of an extreme heat wave, the French have started painting their windows with white chalk. It makes perfect sense France’s plan. Beyond the electoral promises that are made at a time when we are approaching the country’s presidential elections, France’s road map works under the premise of preparing the country for a +4 ºC warming scenario. To address this, the possibility of renewing the insulation of buildings, replacing asphalt with trees and creating urban cooling systems with centralized underground cold water networks that are more efficient and less harmful than having millions of individual devices on facades is being considered. In Xataka |AEMET asks that we prepare because “starting on Friday” a rise is expected that will put Spain “eight degrees above normal” (function() { window._JS_MODULES = window._JS_MODULES || {}; var headElement = document.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)(0); if (_JS_MODULES.instagram) { var instagramScript = document.createElement(‘script’); instagramScript.src=”https://platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js”; instagramScript.async = true; instagramScript.defer = true; headElement.appendChild(instagramScript); – The news Air conditioning is the new great political weapon in France: why environmentalists and the extreme right are fighting over it was originally published in Xataka by José A. Lizana .

Germany and France need to imitate Spain to survive the heat

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Melting roads, bursting train tracks and firefighters watering bridges. While in Spain we deal with the heat by lowering the blinds, in Europe we are looking for solutions to try to survive a heat wave that has blown up the most basic mobility infrastructures. “You should look at Japan”. “You should look at how rail transport works in Japan. There it also reaches 40 degrees in summer and the trains are not constantly cancelled” or “it happened 20 years ago, the air conditioning has failed. (…) the problem has existed for a long time and nothing is done.” There are two comments that reported in one of the local media in Bavaria (Germany). In the text, one of the reporters explains that “the passengers were completely sweaty and accepted the situation with resignation” when it was reported that the regional train in which they were traveling had broken down its air conditioning. With 35 degrees outside and more than 40 degrees inside, the problem was obvious. So evident that Marco Kragulji, spokesman for the German passenger association “Pro Bahn”pointed out that, quite simply, “Germany has problems with its trains when the heat comes.” Click on the image to go to the original tweet Germany, Belgium… German trains with broken air conditioning have been just one of the problems encountered by rail traffic in a burning central Europe. And in the country too Tram tracks have been broken in the city of Essen because of the heat. It is by no means the only case. In Brussels the tram tracks have also jumpedtearing up the asphalt and completely stopping traffic. The causes are simple: train tracks are designed to withstand temperatures typical of countries that used to be colder. Heat expands the materials and ends up splitting them.destroying the infrastructure. Click on the image to go to the original tweet “We recommend that you do not take the train”. In addition to broken tracks, SNCF (the French Renfe) has recommended that “vulnerable users” don’t take the train. And the problems with the air conditioning are constant and have even been the main reason why Dozens of trains were suspended last week. The problem is that the heat is being so extreme that it is putting the trains that have been in operation for more than 20 years to the test. Those trains were designed in a context that, except for the heat wave of 2003, does not exist today. And now the Spanish trains are given as an example, much better armed to withstand extreme temperatures. looking south. In the German media they use the Spanish and Italian infrastructure as an example. They claim that Deutsche Bahn (in this case, the German Renfe) designed the rails for the train to withstand temperatures that are now considered too low. And the problem, they point out in this medium specialized in engineeringit is not the ambient temperature, it is that the tracks, due to the concentrated heat and the passage of the trains, reach much higher temperatures that, now, break the tracks. Generalists focus on the fact that Spanish and Italian roads use colors that reflect the sun to reduce the temperature. But also They praise the air conditioning systems of Spanish trains that are more powerful and with more recurring departures within the cars. Both France and Germany point out, however, that the latest generation trains that are arriving on their tracks already use powerful air conditioning systems to face these new situations. And they are even adding batteries to ensure that the air conditioning remains active in case of a breakdown. Photo | Linus Follert and windy In Xataka | Some roads are literally melting. It is a gigantic problem that is going to get worse.

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