Grenoble, a nest of heat islands? This is indicated by data from CNRS and Météo France researchers. Compiled data par France Info in an article published in August 2021, then taken par The liberated Dauphiné in an article published on June 17, 2022. Enough to warm up Grenoble’s elected officials, while the summer of 2022 multiplies the episodes of heat wave and proves to be particularly trying in the city.
If the quays of the Isère offer a semblance of freshness in heat waves, the city center of Grenoble is particularly affected by the phenomenon of heat islands. © Thomas Imbert – Place Gre’net
–
The conclusions are indeed final. According to the infographic produced by France Info, Grenoble has 80% of inhabitants facing high intensity heat islands, and 17% with intensity heat islands “not negligible“. Worse still, it is the only town in France, outside Paris, to present a heat island whose value reaches + 5.58 degrees. Where Lyon and Lille are below 5 degrees.
Faced with these data, which however did not date from yesterday, the political reaction was not long in coming. “Sad record for Grenoble“, launched by means of a press release the opposition group Civil Society, led by Alain Carignon. For whom “Grenoble residents are endangered by a municipality that has replaced concrete action with incantation and com“. By aiming in particular at the policy of “concreting” that the City would lead.
What is a heat island?
The urban heat island (UHI) is defined by a microclimate phenomenon in an urban environment, which is observed during the day but also, if not especially, at night. The temperatures observed in the city are thus higher than those recorded in peripheral urban or natural areas, or the regional average. The phenomenon would not be new, and would have been observed from the beginning of the 19th century in London.
–
On Monday, June 27, on the occasion of the municipal council, the elected opposition civil society Brigitte Boer did not fail to return to the subject. “Each new densification operation increases the temperature. For eight years, the municipality has not created any large breathing space, while it has urbanized a lot“, she launched. Calling for “sanctuarize all the green spaces of Grenoble“.
