In light of the ongoing turmoil in France and beyond, the following insights from Inside Climate News shed light on the mounting frustration among the youth. Given the economic devastation in the EU, the bleak future faced by the younger generation, and the deteriorating state of overheated schools, it’s surprising that such protests have not erupted sooner while billions continue to be allocated to Project Ukraine.
PARIS https://t.co/Hxj598HKy3
— The_Real_Fly (@The_Real_Fly) October 17, 2026
UPDATE – The town hall’s historic bell tower in Limoges has collapsed. The building is on the verge of burning down.
https://t.co/iJKdzHKHFN
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) October 17, 2026
On 16 October 2026, thousands of students took to the streets across Italy for “No Meloni Day,” protesting education cuts and the use of public funds for military spending and the genocide in Gaza.
In cities including Rome, Turin, Milan, and Naples, students marched with Palestinian flags and slogans such as “money for schools, not for war” and “more classrooms, not more bombs.” In Rome, some Israeli and U.S. flags were burned.
— Paddystinian (@Paddystinian) October 17, 2026
🚨Italia se está quemando y nadie lo quiere decir claro.
Milán, Bolonia, Turín, Florencia y Roma llenas de gente al mismo tiempo. En Milán más de 5.000 enfrentaron a la policía con piedras y petardos frente al Duomo. En Bolonia dispararon cañones de agua y gases lacrimógenos cerca de la estación. En Turín volaron piedras y botellas. Miles salieron porque el diésel está por las nubes y el sueldo no llega a fin de mes.
No es desorden por desorden. Es gente que ya no puede más. Cuando el combustible y el alquiler te ahogan cada día, la rabia sale a la calle. Y está saliendo en toda Italia.
— Runas Dos Lunas (@DosRunas) October 17, 2026
By Mathilde Augustin, a business journalist who is passionate about the intersection of climate and finance. Originally published at Inside Climate News.
As Cléo arrived in her Greek class, she appeared completely drained. It was a sweltering Wednesday in June, marking France’s second consecutive heat wave of the year, and the 16-year-old was struggling to cope with the soaring temperatures.
She pushed forward, attributing her fatigue to tiredness. However, the next day at her stifling high school on the outskirts of Paris, she was overtaken by nausea and an overwhelming thirst. The school nurse, recognizing the signs of heat exhaustion, advised her to go home.
This week, reflecting on her experience and anxious about future heat waves, Cléo and her friends positioned themselves by green garbage bins, blocking their school’s entrance. For the past month, such scenes have erupted at thousands of schools throughout France, where students are protesting for improved learning conditions and increased investment in public education.
These student protests have become one of the most notable social movements in France’s recent history, met with a harsh police response that has resulted in approximately 8,000 arrests over three weeks, 85 percent of whom are minors. Fearing consequences, Cléo and her fellow students who spoke with Inside Climate News requested to be quoted using only their first names.
The students’ demands are diverse, ranging from more teachers and smaller class sizes to a shortened school day and reform of the college application process. At the core of their revolt is frustration over deteriorating school infrastructures—a concern exacerbated by climate-change-induced heat waves.
This year marked France’s hottest on record, with a staggering 8,000 excess deaths during the summer heat waves. In June alone, mortality surged by 11 percent when compared to the same month in 2025.
Meanwhile, French schools were not built to endure the hotter environment bequeathed to students after decades of fossil fuel consumption skewed the climate. Many school buildings were designed to retain heat, while air conditioning remains uncommon. With classroom temperatures peaking above 100 degrees Fahrenheit this spring, incidents of fainting and nosebleeds have been reported.
Students protesting outside high schools in the Paris region describe a slew of issues in their facilities that make them feel let down by the government, including crumbling ceilings, moldy walls, inoperable bathrooms, insufficient seating, and pest infestations. For many, this year’s unprecedented heat waves have highlighted their schools’ inability to ensure safety in a warming climate.
“We’re here to assert our rights and make ourselves heard because we are fed up with this government, this country, and we have had enough,” declared Koumba, a 16-year-old at a high school in Montreuil, on the outskirts of Paris.
Schools Built for an Outdated Climate
Marie-Hélène Azam, an engineering professor at the National Institute of Applied Sciences, oversees a project focused on adapting France’s primary schools to withstand heat waves.
“Until now, we have primarily designed buildings for energy efficiency in winter,” she noted. “We must discover a way to balance comfort in both winter and summer, which requires redesigning our buildings.”
Traditionally, French schools feature large windows aimed at maximizing sunlight and warmth. However, this design backfires in hotter weather, turning classrooms into uncomfortably warm spaces.
Additionally, many older school buildings in France have significant “thermal inertia,” absorbing, storing, and releasing heat. This quality is beneficial in winter but can lead to higher internal temperatures than outdoor conditions during extreme heat events.
The challenge extends beyond just extreme temperatures—the manner in which they arrive exacerbates the situation.
“As heat waves become more intense and prolonged, we cannot sufficiently cool these buildings at night or between heat waves,” Azam explained. “As soon as the building’s temperature begins to drop, another intense heat wave follows.”
Among potential solutions are external shutters to block sunlight, ceiling fans to cool students, and evaporative cooling technologies that utilize water to combat heat.
A spokesperson for the Île-de-France region, responsible for public high school infrastructure in the Paris area, stated it allocated $1.2 billion this year for constructing and renovating schools, including upgrades to roofs and windows. During heat waves, the regional government spent $1.1 million on additional exam centers and on purchasing misting devices and fans.
In France, air conditioning has thus far been viewed as a last resort for climate adaptation. Many express concerns that widespread installation may aggravate the “urban heat island” effect, which causes cities to be warmer than rural areas; air conditioning units expel hot air outside, further raising temperatures in the streets. Financial constraints also pose a barrier, as energy prices in Europe rank among the highest in the world.
Climate Anxiety Beyond the Classroom
The protesting students are not fixated solely on air conditioning. Instead, many articulate that the heat persists beyond classroom walls, looming over their futures.
Many report feeling anxious about climate change, alongside worries about economic instability and the impacts of artificial intelligence on their job prospects.
On Tuesday, Margaux Levy and Raphaëlle Richard joined hundreds of thousands of demonstrators across France. These university students stand in solidarity with high schoolers, hoping to be heard by leaders regarding their generation’s concerns.
They sat on a grassy area, holding signs as the protestors filled Place Vauban in Paris’ 7th arrondissement.
“Heat waves are indeed uncomfortable,” stated Levy, a second-year university student. “However, I believe the issue can be addressed primarily through environmental measures. Installing air conditioning in high schools is not a sustainable long-term solution; it only exacerbates the problem.”
She further commented, “It’s disconcerting to witness a world where our actions are leading to our own demise. We are failing to take action, and I don’t intend to sound pessimistic, but the outlook is rather grim. It feels like no one is prioritizing change, and political parties are neglecting it.”
Having grown up amid warnings about climate change, the protesters are now witnessing the crisis unfold.
“We’ve discussed [climate change] extensively; however, we had yet to experience the tangible consequences. Now, following the severe heat waves, we’re witnessing the fatalities they cause,” remarked Richard, a second-year medical student. “Awareness is growing, yet it needs to be matched with necessary political actions.”
Earlier that day, Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg joined the students in Paris, visiting a school in the northern part of the city.
“This generation has been raised with a sense of hopelessness,” she told The Associated Press. “We can see our future and our rights slipping away before our eyes. What do they expect? Naturally, people are going to resist.”
