Share to ClassroomHeatwave Restarts Europe's Air Conditioning Debate
Europe is having its worst heatwave ever recorded. In eastern Germany, the temperature reached 41.7°C (107°F) . In France, about 1,000 people, most of them old, died from the heat in one week. Now many ask why so few Europeans have air conditioning. Only about 20% of European homes are cooled by machines, but in the United States it is nearly 90%. The World Health Organization (WHO) says heat has killed more than 200,000 people in Europe in four years.
Energy costs much more in Europe than in the US. Many people rent their homes, and governments prefer other ways to stay cool, like shade and public cooling centres. One expert, Ine Vandecasteele, says air conditioning should not be the solution anywhere, because it pushes heat outside and makes the planet warmer. But the topic is now political. Some right-wing parties say leaders care more about the climate than about people's lives.
Health experts want a middle way. WHO director Hans Kluge says cooling should go first to hospitals, care homes, and schools. Such steps have already cut heat deaths by 75%. Air conditioning is growing fastest in the hottest countries: more than half of homes in Italy and Spain now have it, but only 24% in France. Some scientists worry that only rich people will stay cool.
