French authorities seem to prefer seeing citizens suffer through heatwaves –  and die by the thousands  – than utilizing modern air conditioning.

Image by P. Gosselin using Grok AI

“Ecological virtue” has turned into a public health hazard

The French climate blogsite Cliumat et Verité writes about why the French have an aversion to ACs, even when temperatures exceed 40°C.

In his blog post “Pas de climatisation, s’il vous plaît ! Nous sommes Français!“ (Please, no air conditioning! We are French!), Nicolas Lecaussin discusses an ironic editorial from The Wall Street Journal that mocks the French government’s reluctance to embrace air conditioning.

He notes that French authorities seem to prefer seeing citizens suffer through heatwaves approaching 40°C rather than utilizing modern air conditioning. Lecaussin highlights guidelines from ADEME (the French Agency for Ecological Transition) that discourage general AC use. The agency states AC should only be used as a last resort for vulnerable people (like the elderly or pregnant women), and even then, only in a single room with the temperature set no lower than 26°C (approx. 79°F), due to high energy consumption and climate impact.

Lecaussin ridicules official government and healthcare service advice on staying cool without AC. These tips include wetting one’s face and arms, eating cold soup, covering windows with homemade cardboard protectors, and turning off computers and hair dryers to limit indoor heat. Lacaussin argues this forces citizens to live abnormally rather than taking real steps against the heat.

The Climast et Verité  post points out that even though public health agencies acknowledge a major surge in heat-related emergency room visits and hospitalizations, many French buildings (which it calls “thermal kettles”) and even hospitals themselves remain without air conditioning.

France’s climate is known for its warm and sunny summers – especially southern France – and has always experienced heat waves. Yet, despite its aging population, the country refuses to install air conditioners. Instead, it allows thousands of elderly to die prematurely and blames the heat waves on fossil-fuel-generated prosperity.

Lecaussin concludes that prioritizing “ecological virtue” over practical cooling has turned into a public health hazard, asserting that France has nothing to be proud of regarding this stance.

If a prize were ever awarded for obstinate stupidity, some French officials would certainly win it.