A Paris official has sparked backlash after blaming Americans and their use of air conditioning for Europe’s deadly heatwave, which has already been linked to more than 1,300 excess deaths in France, the New York Post reports. The remarks come as Europe endures what scientists describe as its most intense heatwave on record, with temperatures soaring past 104 degrees in parts of France. Morgues in Paris have reportedly struggled to keep pace with the surge in fatalities, most of them involving elderly victims, according to preliminary data from the country’s public health agency.
Audrey Pulvar, Paris’ deputy mayor for international relations, took aim at US critics after American tourists and commentators mocked France’s limited use of air conditioning. In a pointed social media post, she pushed back against what she described as lectures from abroad.
“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,” Pulvar wrote. “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.”
She went further, linking America’s widespread use of air conditioning—present in roughly 90 percent of US buildings—to the broader climate crisis. “Your cities…are not unrelated to this,” she said, urging critics to “start doing your part” instead of mocking France’s infrastructure.
France has historically resisted widespread adoption of air conditioning, with only about a quarter of households equipped with cooling systems. That reluctance has been tied to environmental concerns, cultural preferences, and strict building regulations. However, intensifying summers are beginning to shift that stance, with demand for cooling units rising sharply during recent heatwaves.
According to The Post, scientists say the current crisis underscores a broader trend. A report released by World Weather Attribution concluded the ongoing heatwave would not have occurred without human-driven climate change. Europe, they claim, is warming faster than the global average.
The scale of the disaster is already drawing comparisons to France’s infamous 2003 heatwave, which killed an estimated 15,000 people. While current figures remain preliminary, officials warn the death toll could climb further as the extreme temperatures persist.