Deadly Avalanches Highlight Growing Climate Risks as France Sets Temperature Rise Targets

Recent weeks have witnessed a tragic surge in avalanche fatalities in France and beyond, underscoring the increasing dangers posed by climate change on mountainous regions. Since Christmas 2025, France has recorded 12 avalanche-related deaths, including six fatalities over the weekend of January 10-11 in Savoie and Haute-Savoie, a skier in Val-d'Isère on January 19, two Moroccan tourists and their guide on Mount Toubkal in Morocco on January 22, and a skier near Cime de Sambuis on January 23. Similar deadly incidents have occurred in Austria with seven deaths among skiers and hikers over the past two weeks.

The risks were vividly illustrated by Spanish skier Ares Masip, whose harrowing experience of being swept away by an avalanche while skiing off-piste in Andorra was captured on video and shared to warn others to remain vigilant.

These recent deadly occurrences coincide with a new French government decree published on January 25, 2026, which codifies expected temperature increases in France as key references for climate adaptation policies. Based on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) findings and national scientific research including Météo-France, the regulation sets a warming trajectory for metropolitan France of +2C by 2030, +2.7C by 2050, and a significant +4C rise by 2100. Overseas French territories are expected to experience warming ranging from +1.4C up to +3.5C depending on the region.

The updated regulations will serve as a backbone for all national and local climate adaptation plans, ensuring preparedness for the accelerating changes. Europe, including France, is noted to be warming faster than the global average, with observations from the Copernicus European Observatory confirming unprecedented global temperature levels over the past three years.

These developments highlight the urgent need to integrate evolving scientific data into safety and environmental strategies, especially in mountains where avalanches pose severe threats exacerbated by climate warming. As summarized by French authorities, the warming trajectory "will be updated continually with new scientific knowledge" to guide adaptation measures reliably into the future.