French politician says US bears ‘significant responsibility’ for European heatwave linked to 1,300 deaths

French politician says US bears ‘significant responsibility’ for European heatwave linked to 1,300 deaths Audrey Pulvar said it was ‘so rich’ of American journalists to complain about France’s lack of air conditioning due to its high emissions - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments A French politician has said the US bears “significant responsibility” for the brutal heatwave that swept across Europe due to the country’s high carbon emissions. The continent faced some of its highest temperatures on record last week, with over 1,000 excess deaths linked to the heatwave in France alone where the mercury reached 44C in some areas. Europe was mocked by US tourists for its lack of air conditioning during the heatwave. According to the International Energy Agency, only around 20% of European households have air conditioning, compared with roughly 90% in the United States. Responding to the comments, the deputy mayor of Paris for international relations Audrey Pulvar wrote on Instagram: “Dear American journalists and social media ‘influencers’: for days, some of you have been criticising and making fun of Paris because the city does not have A/C in every room...OMG, this is so rich!” “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. Your cities, which are 90 per cent air conditioned, are not unrelated to this.” In Germany, police used water canons to cool citizens down in the scorching temperatures last week, while others attempted to cool down in lakes, seas and rivers. Air conditioners and fans saw a huge boost in sales across several regions. According to the World Health Organisation, there were more than 1,300 excess deaths during the heatwave in Europe. The United States is responsible for around 13 per cent of the world’s CO2 emissions, according to Our World In Data, behind China on 32 per cent. The 27 countries of the European Union combined are responsible for six per cent. A new report released on Monday found that the US saw the largest increase in CO2 emissions, based on data from last year. US coal consumption jumped 10 per cent last year and global carbon emissions from the energy sector rose by 1.1 per cent, according to a report produced in partnership with Ember, Kearney Institute and KPMG: Europe's carbon emissions from the energy sector increased by 0.5 per cent, while China's rose by 0.7 per cent in 2025. Experts have said that the soaring temperatures in Europe would have been “virtually impossible” without human-caused climate change, according to the World Weather Attribution group last week. According to a study by Imperial College London, climate change increased the number of heat deaths by about 1,500 in 12 European cities during ten days of intense heat last year. “We know most residential buildings and apartments in the European Union do not have air conditioning. It's not something that is traditionally in-built, especially given that much of our housing stock is actually quite old and aged,” Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, European Commission spokesperson for climate, told Euronews on Monday. She said that the Commission did “not really” have an AC policy and that they were “not micromanaging how people should be going about this.” Air conditioning has been an issue of fierce debate in France. Left-wing leader Jean Luc-Melenchon has said that installing air conditioning across the country “would only make things worse”, while the far-right Rassemblement National has backed a mass rollout of AC. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments