Americans use air conditioning just about everywhere. Europeans, for the most part, do not. But a deadly summer heat wave that threatens to become the new climate normal has sparked a fierce debate about whether it is time for the continent to finally cool down.The dispute has grown “especially heated” in recent weeks, said Yahoo News. “Millions” of visiting World Cup fans have kept cool in “American bars, restaurants, hotels and even stadiums” while their neighbors back home suffered Europe’s “worst-ever heat wave” without much relief. Just 20% of European homes have A.C., mostly because northern Europe “rarely got hot enough to justify” the technology until recently, and electricity is “way more expensive” than in the United States. The air conditioning divide also “reflects deep cultural differences” highlighted by the warming climate.
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