Swimming in the Seine

One of President Macron's most ambitious promises has been to make the Seine swimmable again by the 2024 Olympics. This goal, which seemed impossible to many, has driven a massive cleanup effort involving new water treatment plants, storm drain improvements, and stricter regulations on river pollution.

The campaign has united unlikely allies. Environmental groups work with city planners, immigrant community organizations advocate for equal access to clean water recreation, and elderly Parisians share memories of swimming in the Seine in their youth. "My mother learned to swim in the Seine in the 1930s," says Robert Chen, whose grandparents emigrated from China. "The idea that my grandchildren might do the same—it's like the river coming full circle."