European summers are getting brutally hot. So why is air conditioning so rare?

https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/02/climate/europe-air-conditioning-heat-wave-intl-latam?utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit

by cnn

6 comments

  1. A brutal heat wave is gripping many parts of Europe, leaving millions of people struggling to adapt to punishing, record-breaking temperatures. Heat persists even at night, with temperatures in some places not dipping much below 90 degrees.

    There is little respite. [Air conditioning is very rare in European homes](https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/02/climate/europe-air-conditioning-heat-wave-intl-latam?utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit). Many residents are being forced to ride out the searing heat with the help of electric fans, ice packs and cold showers.

    But Europe hasn’t approached heat in the same way as the historically hotter United States. While nearly 90% of US homes have air conditioning, in Europe it’s around 20%, and some countries have much lower rates. In the United Kingdom, only around 5% of homes have cooling systems — many of which are portable AC units. In Germany, the figure is 3%.

    As climate change drives more severe and prolonged heat waves, which arrive earlier and earlier, some are questioning why wealthy European countries have been seemingly reluctant to adopt air conditioning — especially as the heat takes an increasingly deadly toll.

  3. What’s really bad is countries like Germany will have 33% of their population over 65 by 2030. Guess who are much more likely to die due to high temperatures? Answer young children and people over 65.

    So if you are evil you could say climate change will save the European social safety net by killing all the old people.

  4. The thing about “change” is that it’s easier said than done. Since this is becoming a needed change then the government will need to push people toward that change unless they are willing to except the increase in heat related deaths.

  6. In eastern Europe and Italy some people have weird beliefs about air conditioning like it will make you sick, ruin your joints, etc

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