France's heatwaves always spark debates on air conditioning - which much of the country remains deeply resistant to. Some argue that warming temperatures make widespread AC inevitable, but The Local's editor Emma Pearson explains why she thinks the French are right to resist.
The first nationwide heatwave of 2025 in France brought with it sleepless nights, a lot of sweaty people - and a fierce political debate on air conditioning.
In a nutshell, Marine Le Pen's Rassemblement National - a party extremely reluctant to even discuss the climate crisis that is making French heatwaves longer, hotter and more intense - wanted to introduce a "grand plan for air conditioning".
But the politicians of the left and the centre - and a large chunk of the population - are resisting this one-size-fits-all solution.
One year on, and we're already into our second heatwave of the summer and it isn't even July yet.
