A Paris deputy mayor has directly blamed US greenhouse gas emissions and the country's heavy reliance on air conditioning for contributing to a record-breaking heatwave in Europe that has caused over 1,300 excess deaths in France since late June. Audrey Pulvar responded to American criticism of Paris lacking widespread AC by pointing out that the US, as the world's second-largest emitter, bears significant responsibility for the global warming driving these extreme temperatures. The article highlights the tension between climate accountability and adaptation. While about 90% of US homes have air conditioning, only a quarter of French households do. Scientists from World Weather Attribution say the heatwave would not have been possible without human-driven climate change. France is still scarred by the 2003 heatwave that killed 15,000 people, and the current crisis is renewing debate about whether wider AC adoption is a public health necessity or a contributor to the problem.
