In countries like the United States, Australia and Japan, the hot, sticky summer months are made bearable by the blast of chilled air provided by a humming air conditioner.
But across large parts of Europe, the solution is often decidedly low-tech: shut the shades, fire up the fan and keep plenty of ice water within reach.
Around 90% of people living in the US have air conditioning at home, according to the US Department of Energy. In Europe, which has a similar climate, that figure is only about 20%, though it does vary across the continent. In a sunny southern country like Spain, around half of households have cooling, while in Germany it's around just 6%.
There's a good reason for that. Until recently, air conditioning wasn't seen as a necessity in many European countries, especially in the north.
Summers have always been hot — what's changed?
