Europeans are outpacing most of the world in embracing relatively affordable and easy-to-install China-made cooling units, customs data shows
From Paris to Athens, and Lisbon to Berlin, Europeans are enduring a prolonged and punishing summer heatwave amid global warming.
And rising right alongside the blazing temperatures are China’s exports of air conditioners (ACs) to the continent, with a nearly 60 per cent jump by volume in July, compared with the same time last year, according to Chinese customs data.
The Spanish capital of Madrid kicked off the week under a yellow alert – the third-highest heat warning on a four-tier scale – with temperatures reaching almost 36 degrees Celsius (96.8 degrees Fahrenheit), according to Spain’s State Meteorological Agency.
A severe heatwave also continued to grip France last weekend, when 85 of the 96 metropolitan departments – roughly equivalent to Chinese prefecture-level cities or US counties – were under heatwave alerts, including Paris. The French capital experienced its first heatwave of the summer in June, with temperatures hitting 36 degrees – exceeding the typical average high for the month of 24 degrees.
