Woke Paris pol blames Americans and our air conditioning for Europe heat wave that has killed 1,300 people
A Paris politician blamed Americans and US air conditioning for the record-breaking heatwave in Europe that has resulted in more than 1,300 excess deaths.
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After US tourists mocked France over the lack of air conditioning across the country amid 104 degree temperatures, Audrey Pulvar, deputy mayor of Paris for international relations, claimed the situation was partly America’s fault.
“Dear American journalists and social media ‘influencers’: for days, some of you have been criticizing and making fun of Paris because the city does not have A/C in every room…OMG, this is so rich!” Pulvar wrote on social media.
“As the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in the world, you bear a significant amount of responsibility for global warming and the consequences we, in France, are experiencing. Your cities, which are 90 per cent air conditioned, are not unrelated to this,” she added.
“So please, enough with the lecture. Just start doing your part,” the post concluded.
France has long-been resistant to air conditioning, with only 25% of households in the country equipped with such cooling units.
The reticence to install AC has been attributed to concerns over the environment, the culture, and strict building codes — but the tides have begun changing as summers get hotter and hotter.
The spat between Pulvar and Americans comes amid a record heatwave in Europe, with France experiencing a surge of deaths that have left morgues struggling to keep up.
France has recorded at least 1,300 excess deaths since June 21, the public health agency said on Sunday, warning that the final figures could be higher.
Detailing its preliminary count of excess deaths over the weekend, Sante Publique France said most of the fatalities involved older people.
Scientists have said the current heat wave, which began on June 20, was the worst recorded in Europe, where the climate is changing faster than the global average.
World Weather Attribution, a Europe-based collaboration of scientists, published a report Friday stating that the current heatwave would not have been possible without climate change.
The current heatwave surpasses the devastating 2003 heatwave, which was blamed for the deaths of 15,000 people in France.
