Air Conditioning, Scourge of the French Left

Heat waves kill thousands in Europe, but politicians resist the relief Americans can take for granted

By Alexander Kustov. He is an associate professor of global affairs at the University of Notre Dame. Excerpts:

"The French left argues that air conditioning is a selfish indulgence and an ecological menace. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the country’s most prominent left-wing leader, warned that cooling would mean “increasing the damage,” and says he wouldn’t expose his grandchildren to air conditioning because it “destroys your sinuses.”"

"The economist Alan Barreca and his colleagues found that the spread of home cooling explains most of the decline in “hot-day-related fatalities” in the U.S. since 1960."

"Air conditioning accounts for about 3% of global emissions today, and in France, where two-thirds of the power is nuclear and much of the rest is low-carbon, running a unit is close to carbon-free."

"a group of left-wing economists, among them Joseph Stiglitz, Thomas Piketty and Kate Raworth, declared economic growth “a doomed strategy” and signed on in support of a road map, developed by United Nations Special Rapporteur Olivier De Schutter, for a new “degrowth economy.” Its policies aim to reduce material consumption, shorten the workweek, and impose caps on personal income. Underlying this road map is the idea that wanting to be comfortable is shameful."

"In France, a condominium owner generally needs the consent of the other owners to install air conditioning. In the country’s heritage zones, a state architect can veto any unit visible from the street. In England and Wales, an air conditioner that has no heating function requires permission. The canton of Geneva issues a permit for comfort cooling only to people who prove they need it. Spain forbids public and commercial buildings from cooling below 80 degrees."

"The left’s most respectable voices are telling grandmothers to draw down the shutters and wait it out."