France Long-term resistance to air conditioning is beginning to fade, as more frequent heatwaves increase demand for cooling. With another wave of extreme heat sweeping the country, shoppers are rushing to purchase air conditioning units, schools are closing due to unbearable classroom temperatures, and a once cultural debate has turned political, according to a report by CNN.
The latest heatwave comes even before France has fully recovered from the latest wave, highlighting how increasingly frequent bouts of extreme heat have changed public attitudes towards cooling.
Demand has become so intense that dozens of people lined up outside Lidl stores across the Paris region on Thursday, hoping to buy air conditioners before they sell out.
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In Aubervilliers, a suburb of Paris, the rush turned into chaos. Crowd pressure forced store doors to open and fights broke out between shoppers trying to get their hands on the limited stock.
“I saw people being trampled,” one shopper said. Parisian newspaper. Another shopper said: “I was in shock, I was being pushed in every direction and unfortunately I didn’t leave with the air conditioning unit.”
Demand for air conditioners rises with increasing heat waves
According to the French Energy Transfer Agency, only about 24% of French households have air conditioners. Although this represents an increase from 18% just two years ago, it is still much lower than in neighboring Italy, where about 50% of homes have air conditioning.
For many residents, the recent heatwave has become the turning point.
Alexia, 26, who lives on the outskirts of Paris, said she decided not to wait any longer after hearing that another heat wave was on the way.
“All the air conditioners I saw I was going to buy were out of stock. So I rushed to get another one before there were none left at all.”
The lack of cooling infrastructure extends beyond homes. Only 7% of French schools are equipped with air conditioning, forcing thousands of schools to close during last week’s extreme heat as classroom temperatures became unbearable.
The human cost was also high. Health authorities recorded more than 2,000 excess deaths over a six-day period during the peak of the heatwave in June, adding urgency to calls for better protection against extreme temperatures.
Why has France traditionally avoided air conditioning?
For decades, air conditioning was not widely adopted in France. Many people viewed it as ugly, noisy, unnecessary and, above all, American. There is also an ancient belief that breathing air conditioned air can make people sick.
Instead, French buildings have traditionally relied on thick stone walls, shuttered windows, and passive cooling techniques that work well when summers are cooler.
Air conditioning installation is also complicated by strict regulations.
Many of Paris’s famous 19th-century buildings are protected by heritage rules designed to preserve the city’s historic rooftops and facades, most of which were built during Georges-Eugène Haussmann’s transformation of Paris during the reign of Napoleon III.
Residents living in jointly owned buildings must also obtain consent before installing fixed air conditioning units, and can request the removal of unauthorized installations.
Heat turns air conditioning into an election issue
As France approaches the 2027 presidential election, air conditioning has become an increasingly contentious political issue.
Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party has emerged as the strongest supporter of widespread cooling, proposing a nationwide “climbing plan” to equip every school and hospital with air conditioning. The party also called for $23 billion in government-guaranteed, interest-free loans to help 30 million to 40 million families install air conditioning units.
On the left, opinions remain divided.
The Green Party, which has traditionally opposed widespread air conditioning, has softened its position. Party leader Marine Tondiller admitted that refrigeration is now necessary in at least some schools and hospitals.
However, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the left-wing Unruly France party, continued his opposition to widespread air conditioning installation, warning that putting air conditioners everywhere “means causing more damage.”
The French government adopted a compromise, agreeing to emergency air conditioning for hospitals while continuing to focus on insulation and better building design rather than installing large-scale air conditioners.
The issue has become politically charged enough for the Green Party to table a motion of no confidence in the government on Thursday over its handling of the heatwave response. Although the proposal did not pass, it highlighted how climate adaptation has become a major political issue.
The climate debate continues
Opponents of widespread air conditioning have long argued that it contributes to climate change by increasing electricity consumption.
However, supporters point out that France’s electricity system is among the cleanest in the world. About 95% of the country’s electricity comes from low-carbon sources, with nuclear power alone supplying nearly two-thirds of the national grid. This means that running an air conditioner in France produces much lower emissions than in countries like Poland or Germany, where fossil fuels still account for a much larger share of electricity generation.
Experts also point out that heavy use of air conditioners can increase temperatures within cities by releasing waste heat. While this is different from global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions, it can make urban heat worse and widen the gap between those who can get cooling and those who cannot.
Environmental activists claim that the public conversation has increasingly turned to a simple choice between installing or without air conditioning, rather than addressing the underlying causes of climate change.
But for a growing number of French people, adapting to high temperatures is no longer optional. As heat waves become more frequent and frequent, air conditioning is increasingly turning from a cultural taboo into a practical necessity.
