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Or sign-in if you have an account.People try to cool off in a fountain in the centre of Tilburg on June 25, 2026 during a heatwave in Europe. Photo by ROB ENGELAAR / ANP / AFP via Getty ImagesLONDON — By the middle of last week, Britain and Western Europe were hot enough to melt Samuel de Champlain’s statue. In London, the air was damper than a sauna, and in France, the pavement shimmered and liquified. People literally had their lives cut short by extreme temperatures that reached 40 C, with little breeze to lessen the effect.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorThe advice was the same as ever. People were told to drink water, avoid going outside and keep their windows shut.Through no fault of its own, since nobody can predict the weather, the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) held its annual conference at Olympia London, on Hammersmith Road, from June 23 to 25, right in the middle of the heatwave.This newsletter from NP Comment tackles the topics you care about. (Subscriber-exclusive edition on Fridays)By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try againARC spared no expense, and it was a grand show, hosting about 4,000 people from more than 75 countries. The content was excellent, serious and civilized, and I was lucky to attend. As for the physical experience, that was another matter entirely.There was plenty of lemonade and water, with the jugs constantly refilled as people lined up to rehydrate. The air conditioning inside Olympia London worked, but modestly.Thousands of people filled the halls in dark, heavy suits, humbled by the patches of sweat on the backs of their shirts. The limits of deodorant were tested.The heatwave that swept Europe in late June exposed the shortcomings of elite politicians who think mediocre energy policy and virtue are indistinguishable. England may have had its warmest June on record, and Britain, on the whole, endured the second-hottest June since 1884.During the heatwave on the London Underground, temperatures of 39.4 C were reported on the Central line, 37.2 C on the Jubilee line, 36.4 C on the Bakerloo line and 33.6 C on the Victoria line.Across the English Channel, France’s public health agency reported that about 1,000 additional people had died during the heat’s worst days, including children. This is why Europe’s refusal to embrace the basic comforts of air conditioning is not humorous but outright deadly.The well-to-do of Paris and Brussels can lecture the world all they want on why AC is evil, while failing to ensure people have cool bedrooms. In an astonishing act of hypocrisy, the European Commission shut down the air conditioning on the first seven floors of its 13-storey headquarters in Brussels, while leaving it operational on the higher floors where Commission President Ursula von der Leyen works, alongside other senior officials. So it is AC for me, but not for thee.The International Energy Agency (IEA) has estimated that affordable access to cooling saved roughly 190,000 lives a year from 2019 to 2021. As mundane as it may seem to Canadians, many of whom can take it for granted, widespread AC is the mark of a mature and serious civilization.Air conditioning requires abundant, diversified energy and modern grids. Whether the source is nuclear power, fossil fuels, solar or hydro, Canada has developed a wide range of sources it can draw upon for energy and power.Naturally, modern Britain, or the “YooKay,” as it is mockingly referred to online to refer to the decline of the country, has opted to run in the opposite direction. Under the British government’s November 2025 North Sea Future Plan, no new licences will be granted for new offshore oilfields, apart from limited certificates that may allow production near existing infrastructure. That squeezes domestic energy exactly when Britain needs more of it.London and other parts of Britain are intent on forcing people to use public transit, whether through congestion pricing or high taxes at the pump. However, narrowing the energy base while demanding that citizens electrify their lifestyles is neither fair nor prudent.The lack of AC in France is even more infuriating because it already has a low-carbon energy grid thanks to its massive base of nuclear power. Most of its mainland electricity generation came from low-carbon sources in 2025. The IEA describes France’s nuclear fleet as the second-largest in the world after that of the United States.Of all the EU’s major member states, France is the best positioned to run one of the world’s cleanest, air-conditioned societies. Nonetheless, green-energy talking heads have instead urged people to construct new buildings in ways that keep heat out and to do everything except install window units or central air.Like Britain, the EU has handcuffed itself with a hardline push toward a so-called green transition, making it very difficult to exploit fossil fuels and other conventional energy sources to increase supply.The anti-AC attitudes of European and British politicians are barely concealed class snobbery. They already have air-conditioned homes, cars and offices, as well as breezy summer homes. The middle and working classes get shutters and damp towels while being told to be stoic and bear the misery. Austerity wrought by Green politics keeps comfort rationed to the wealthier classes.Insisting that the majority of a country’s citizens be miserable is not a serious policy. People are not ennobled because they are drenched in sweat.For the love of humanity, give the people of Britain and Europe the air conditioning they deserve. That is, unless, of course, they continue voting for parties that insist on adhering to the green transition. If that is the case, they will have made their choice. Let us just hope that Canada, apparently the “most European nation” outside Europe, does not follow suit.National Post Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.