Heat Wave Kills 40 in France as Temperatures Hit 111 in Spain, CBS News Says

A deadly, record-breaking heat wave spreading eastward across Europe has revived debate over air conditioning as temperatures climb and claim lives, with CBS News reporting that over the last week 40 people died in France from drowning as they sought relief from extreme heat.

“London — Many Europeans have long seen air conditioning as an unnecessary, costly, carbon emissions-heavy indulgence”

CBS News

CBS News also said that in Spain temperatures hit 111 degrees and that the U.K. is enduring its hottest June on record, while noting that heat claims an average of 175,000 lives across Europe each year according to the World Health Organization.

CBS News

The same CBS News report said air conditioning can cut heat-related deaths by 75%, citing a 2007 study, and added that research published by The Lancet found that in 2019, 195,000 heat-related deaths among people over the age of 65 were averted thanks to AC being adopted.

In France, France 24 reported that the heatwave that has swept the country since June 17 caused record-breaking temperatures, more than 800 school closures, and the cancellation of 10 percent of the trains serving the Paris region.

France 24 quoted climate scientist François Gemenne, co-author of the UN's sixth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, saying that the temperatures seen this week "are gradually going to become the norm".

In the same France 24 interview, Gemenne argued that the debate on air conditioning should evolve, saying that regulations have changed and that refrigerant gases used in older systems were banned in the European Union since 2024.

France 24

CBS News described how, in France, shops have been running out of air conditioners, with Golnaz Davarpanah, 81, telling CBS News on Wednesday that she and a friend went "to several stores to buy one, but they were all sold out."

CBS News also reported that in Britain roughly four million homes now have AC, twice as many as three years ago, and quoted Richard Salmon of The Air Conditioning Company saying his London firm has seen a 25-30% annual increase in installations since the residential.

France 24 said the heatwave underscored France’s lack of preparedness for climate change and quoted Gemenne calling for urgent renovation of buildings and a reconsideration of aversion to air conditioning.

“Democracy Dies in Darkness By Ben Noll A deadly and record-breaking heat wave that’s spreading eastward across Europe has revived interest in a The forecast was 42Comments Related Articles John Muyskens and Shannon Osaka Scientists thought they understood global warming”

The Washington Post

France 24 reported that Metéo France placed 54 of its 96 mainland departments on red alert on Tuesday, meaning 90 percent of the population was facing extreme, exceptional heat, and said the day before temperatures oscillated between 36°C and 43°C (97°F and 109°F) across the country.

Gemenne told France 24 that the priority of priorities is the renovation of public buildings and schools, and he said opening cooling centres for people in small apartments on the top floors should be considered, including in gymnasiums.

CBS News framed the stakes around adoption gaps, noting that only about 20% of Europeans have air conditioning at home compared with 90% in the U.S., while also citing that the continent is heating up and that the debate is shifting as summers get hotter.