French resistance to air conditioning melts amid scorching heat

France is facing a severe heat wave, with the country setting an all-time heat record this week.

Some areas saw temperatures exceeding 104 degrees Fahrenheit, forcing the country to rethink its stance on air conditioning.

The rising mercury levels are alarming in a country where typically June temperatures peak at about 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

The weather is so extreme that thousands of schools in France have closed due to the heat. Medical staff also endured intolerable hospital temperature conditions.

Currently, only 25% of French households have air-con, compared to 50% in Spain and Italy, and 90% in the US and Japan.

French environmentalists traditionally opposed air conditioners because their refrigerant gases and expelled heat can raise city temperatures by two or three degrees, according to studies. But, considering the recent heat, the leader of France’s Green Party—historically opposed to air conditioning—acknowledged this week that “there are places where we just can’t do without it now.”

Even so, France’s nuclear-heavy electricity grid could struggle to support a major increase in air conditioning use. Demand has surged during this week’s heat wave, leaving tens of thousands of homes without power.

Not just France, forecasters project above-average nationwide temperatures through the summer, with the central US vulnerable in July and the Northwest, Northeast, and Gulf Coast at risk of heat waves in August.