As Europe bakes, France confronts its air conditioning taboo

This week saw France record its hottest day in history, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in some areas. Heatstroke deaths have been reported, thousands of schools have been forced to close, and medical staff are warning that conditions in hospitals are becoming unbearable. Yet only a quarter of French households own an air conditioning unit, and most public buildings have none at all.

That may be about to change. In a significant break from her party's long-held position, Marie Tondelier, leader of France's Ecologist Party, said this week that air conditioning would need to be installed in schools and hospitals. This was a striking admission for a movement that has long regarded air conditioners as one of the worst responses to climate change. This is due to both the hot air they expel and the refrigerant gases they leak, which studies suggest can raise urban temperatures by up to 3 degrees.

The shift reflects a broader political reckoning. Conservative and far-right politicians, including Marine Le Pen of the National Rally, have already called for a national climate plan to equip public institutions with air conditioning. France's traditional approach, insulated buildings, tree planting, and passive ventilation, is increasingly being tested by heat that the country was not built to withstand.

The contrast with its neighbors is stark. In Spain and Italy, around half of households have air conditioning; in the United States, Israel, and Japan, the figure reaches 90%. As heatwaves grow more frequent and more severe, France faces a dilemma that sits at the heart of the climate debate: how to protect people from the effects of global warming without accelerating it further.