ArcaMax

It’s hot this summer.

It’s so hot in Washington that Republicans and Democrats are sharing air-conditioned cabs.

It’s so hot in New York City that Mayor Mamdani is allowing citizens to turn thermostats down to 77 degrees.

Regrettably, it’s so hot in Europe that millions of people are suffering.

The World Health Organization reports nearly 6,000 heat-related deaths across the continent this summer, with France alone seeing more than 2,000.

This is not the first deadly European heat wave.

In 2003, more than 70,000 people died across the continent, with 15,000 in France alone. During heat waves in 2019 and 2022, thousands more perished — most of them elderly residents in homes and nursing facilities without air conditioning.

While 90% of U.S. homes have air conditioning — as do 91% of Japanese homes — only about 20% of European homes have it, with the majority of those units in southern countries including Italy.

There are many reasons why.

Many Europeans have long dismissed air conditioning as an unnecessary American indulgence, embracing the idea that people should simply adapt to the heat.

Many European buildings have thick stone and brick walls that make installing ductwork a challenge — though easy-to-install mini-split technology offers a realistic, reasonably priced solution.

Powering air conditioning is expensive in Europe. Aggressive green policies have closed low-cost coal and nuclear plants in favor of high-cost wind and solar alternatives.

Expensive grid backups and imports, plus carbon taxes and subsidies, push residential electricity rates to nearly three times what Americans pay.

Europeans are slowly beginning to adopt air conditioning, but a debate is underway. Though some argue that air conditioning’s hydrofluorocarbons and increased electricity usage contribute to climate change, there is no debate that air conditioning has dramatically improved the daily lives of millions.

Air conditioning was invented by Willis Haviland Carrier in 1902. Initially it was used for industrial purposes, but by the mid-1920s it was being used for human comfort.

Department stores and movie houses were among the first to install cooling technology. The federal government soon followed.

Before air conditioning, federal agencies routinely shut down when the temperature got too high, giving them that much less time to think up ways to spend taxpayers’ money.

Homes were designed with high ceilings, cross-ventilation and large hallways to dissipate heat — magnificent features that are no longer necessary in today’s low-ceilinged suburban houses.

The heat drove most people outside. Neighbors sat on front porches, sipping lemonade. At night, whole families slept outside in the yard or along riverbanks.

My parents didn’t install air conditioning until 1985. My dad was a master at cooling the house with a symphony of window and ceiling fans, but air conditioning was a delightful improvement.

Air conditioning unlocked American productivity during summer months — making southern states livable and prosperous.

Cities like Atlanta, Dallas, Phoenix and Miami now flourish year-round. Industries operate without seasonal slowdowns and entire populations are free to relocate from colder parts of the country.

I wrote this column in the comfort of my air-conditioned office in the midst of Pittsburgh’s brutal heat wave last week — something that would have been much harder to do while sweating in stifling heat.

Air conditioning is a little over 100 years old and just one of many innovations that allow millions to live better than kings not so many years ago.

-

Copyright 2026 Tom Purcell, distributed exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate.

See Tom Purcell’s syndicated column, humor books and funny videos featuring his dog, Thurber, at TomPurcell.com. Email him at Tom@TomPurcell.com.

Copyright 2026 Tom Purcell, All Rights Reserved. Credit: Cagle.com