The late-June heat wave that scorched Western Europe killed an estimated 10,650 people in the single week of June 22–28, according to the EU- and WHO-backed EuroMOMO mortality monitor—and more than 9,000 of the dead were 65 or older. Belgium recorded its deadliest heat wave since monitoring began in 2000; Germany logged 5,486 excess deaths in that week alone. And it’s not over: In Italy today four cities are under red heat alert, rising to seven—including Rome—by Wednesday’s peak, with highs near 41°C (106°F).
Set that against the priorities of those who govern Europe. The EU is committing some €260 billion a year—by some estimates far more—to cut carbon dioxide under its Green Deal and “Fit for 55,” to shave fractions of a degree off projected temperatures decades hence. Yet against the heat killing people right now, what is the continent’s answer? Only about one in five European households has air conditioning, versus nearly nine in ten in the United States or Japan—and much of Europe’s climate establishment actively treats A/C as part of the problem, a carbon sin to be avoided rather than a proven technology that keeps the old and the frail alive, and everyone more comfortable and productive.
