“Heat waves kill more people in Europe than the number of Americans killed by guns,” notes Paul Matzko of the Institute for Humane Studies.
But air conditioning is rare in countries like Germany, the United Kingdom, and France. “I will never understand the European preference for dying in heat waves rather than installing air conditioning,” Matzko says.
In the few days between June 23 and July 2, there were 317 heat-related deaths in Milan, 286 in Barcelona, 235 in Paris, 171 in London, 164 in Rome, 108 in Madrid, 96 in Athens, and 71 in Lisbon, according to the Guardian.
The British-American economist Ryan Bourne noted that a room where his daughter was staying in England reached 89 degrees Fahrenheit, due to the lack of air conditioning.
The number of Americans who die in heat waves is only a tiny fraction of the number of Europeans who die in heat waves, even though major American cities such as Washington, DC and New York City are much hotter in summer than European capitals such as London, Paris, Berlin, and Lisbon.
As Google AI explained,
Europe experiences a significantly higher number of heat-related deaths annually compared to the United States, both in absolute numbers and per capita, and this trend is projected to worsen with climate change. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the European region accounts for approximately 175,000 heat-related deaths each year, while the US numbers are considerably lower.
Several factors contribute to this disparity:
- Lack of Air Conditioning: A significant difference in air conditioning prevalence is a key factor, with only about 1 in 10 European households having air conditioning compared to nearly 90% in the US.
