Over 1,000 people have died across Europe in recent weeks due to the current record-breaking heat wave, more than doubling last summer’s death toll. Across Europe, particularly in Spain and France, people have seen all-time high temperatures exceeding 100 degrees. Southern France hit 111 degrees last Tuesday, the hottest day in the country since official records began nearly a century ago. The sick and elderly are especially susceptible to heat stroke, and dozens of people in France drowned after swimming into dangerous areas to avoid the heat. Of course, similar temperatures are common every summer across the United States. Heck, temps may touch 100 this week where I live in the Upper Midwest. Unfortunately, Europe’s quasi-religious obsession with climate change and net-zero crusade has left it woefully unprepared to face hot temperatures. While over 90% of American homes have air conditioning, only 20% of European homes enjoy the benefits of modernity.
Globally, the climate impact of air conditioning is little more than a rounding error. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA,) “space cooling,” meaning the use of both fans and A/C, makes up between 3% and 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Space cooling only accounts for roughly 7% of global energy consumption. While some right-wing parties in Europe have proposed financial stimulus to fund the adoption of A/C, leftist and centrist governments across the continent have used oppressive regulations to discourage the use of air conditioning. After the U.S. mass-adopted A/C in the 1960s, heat-related deaths dropped by 80%. The IEA estimates that A/C saves around 195,000 lives annually.
