France Angered by Mockery of "Air Conditioner-less Paris"... Says US Also Shares Responsibility for Heatwave

"US Is the Second-Largest Greenhouse Gas Emitter... Stop the Lectures"

Only One in Four Households Has Air Conditioning... 78% Say "It’s Harmful to the Environment"

The Deputy Mayor of Paris has publicly criticized the United States, saying that the U.S. also bears some responsibility for the record-breaking heatwave that has recently swept across France.

The Deputy Mayor of Paris criticized the United States, which mocked France's air conditioner shortage, saying it "is also responsible for the heatwave." Yonhap News Agency

According to Yonhap News Agency, citing the UK daily The Telegraph on June 30, Audrey Pulvar, Deputy Mayor of Paris in charge of international relations, made these remarks in response to some Americans who mocked the reality of France’s air conditioner shortage.

Recently, online mockery has been spreading, particularly among some Americans living in the southern desert regions or tropical climates of the United States, claiming that "people in France and Western Europe cannot even withstand the level of heat we experience every year."

In response, Deputy Mayor Pulvar wrote on Facebook on June 26 (local time), "Some American journalists and social media influencers are criticizing and mocking Paris simply because not every room in the city is equipped with air conditioning. It is truly absurd."

She pointed out, "The United States, which is the world’s second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, bears significant responsibility for global warming and the resulting damage France is experiencing," adding, "Even in your cities, where the air conditioner penetration rate is as high as 90%, you are not unrelated to this issue."

She continued, "For the past 25 years, we have implemented policies to reduce air pollution, increase urban green space, improve building energy efficiency, and reform our transportation system. If every city in the United States had made ecological transition efforts like Paris and other European cities, the world would be a much better place than it is now." She then urged, "So please stop lecturing. It’s time for you to start doing what needs to be done."

A record-breaking heatwave with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees swept across France. The photo is not directly related to the specific content of the article. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Only 25% of Households Own Air Conditioners... Record-Breaking 40°C Heatwave Leads to Sellouts in Stores

According to The Telegraph, unlike in the United States where air conditioning is widespread, only one in four households in France owns an air conditioner.

Traditionally, there has been considerable resistance to air conditioning in France. In an Ipsos poll released earlier this month, 78% of French respondents said that air conditioners are harmful to the environment, while one out of every six respondents said they were willing to endure discomfort for the sake of the planet.

However, starting from the middle of this month, as the heatwave with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius continued for about ten days, portable air conditioners sold out at electronics stores across France. In some stores, crowds of shoppers gathered to buy air conditioners just as they were being unloaded from delivery trucks, and these scenes spread rapidly on social media.

Although the heatwave that struck France has temporarily subsided for now, meteorological authorities predict that another spell of hot weather will return around August 6.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.