In Paris, thirty-two-year-old Luca Funaro, suffering from a rare genetic disease, had to face the latest exceptional heatwave in his apartment without an air conditioning system because the condominium owners do not allow him to install one. Neighbors rejected his requests fearing that the outdoor unit to be placed in the courtyard would be too noisy. Funaro, who uses a wheelchair and breathes with a lung ventilator, decided to take the matter to court, spending thousands of dollars in a legal battle that has been ongoing for two years – writes the Wall Street Journal.
EUROPEAN RESISTANCE TO AIR CONDITIONING
Europeans have long avoided air conditioning, considering it noisy, aesthetically damaging to architectural heritage, and, above all, unnecessary as long as summers remained mild. Many also feared that the mass adoption of this high-energy-consuming technology could compromise the continent’s ambitions in the fight against climate change. However, this resistance is clashing with the reality of a territory where temperatures are rising faster than in any other region on the planet.
HEATWAVES AND IMPACTS
Years of record heat are putting health systems and the economy under severe strain. During the last heatwave, thousands of schools without cooling systems had to close in Western Europe, forcing parents to stay home from work. Several businesses suspended services, factories reduced production, and railway lines were interrupted, recalling the shutdowns experienced during the pandemic.
THE POLITICAL DEBATE
The debate on the future of air conditioning is now redefining continental politics, pitting the right, in favor of a massive installation plan to protect vulnerable individuals, against the left, concerned about the environmental impact and the heat discharged into the streets, which risks further overheating urban centers.
INFRASTRUCTURE AND CLIMATE DATA
European infrastructures were designed for a much cooler climate than the current one. […] In Italy, about 56% of homes are equipped with air conditioning systems, a figure that drops to 25% in France and just 5% in the United Kingdom. Scientists attribute the high number of heatwave-related deaths in Europe, historically higher than in the United States, precisely to the lack of cooling systems. The continent’s temperatures are already about 2.5 degrees Celsius higher than the pre-industrial era, compared to a global average of 1.4 degrees. Facing peaks above 40 degrees recorded in Paris, local authorities admit that the climate scenarios forecast for the coming decades are already occurring.
CITIES’ ALTERNATIVES
So far, city administrations have tried to avoid the large-scale adoption of air conditioning, promoting alternative solutions such as natural ventilation, window shutters, increasing urban greenery to reduce the heat island effect, or opening bathing canals.
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AIR CONDITIONING
However, according to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), air conditioning remains the only highly effective tool to counter extreme heatwaves, while urban vegetation receives a low effectiveness rating. When the heat is relentless and nighttime temperatures do not drop below 30 degrees, buildings cannot cool down before the next dawn.
HOSPITALS, NURSING HOMES, AND POLITICAL DECISIONS
In hospitals and nursing homes without systems, doctors and patients are forced to stick reflective films on windows to block the sun, experiencing unbearable working and recovery conditions. This situation is pushing authorities to reconsider their bans. In London, Mayor Sadiq Khan recently stated that schools, offices, and hospitals should be equipped with active cooling systems, calling them necessary to face the new climate normal.
REGULATORY OBSTACLES AND LEGAL CONFLICTS
Despite increasing demand, installing an air conditioner in many European cities remains a challenging process. In Geneva and London, regulations require residents to prove the ineffectiveness of more ecological alternative methods, such as ceiling fans, before granting permits. In Paris, in addition to the binding opinion of condominium assemblies, projects can be blocked by municipal offices if they alter the historic facades of Haussmannian buildings. Furthermore, French legislation allows work to be halted if the outdoor unit exceeds permitted noise limits, a factor causing a sharp increase in legal disputes between neighbors, leaving vulnerable people like Luca Funaro waiting for a compromise that allows them to protect themselves from the heat.
(Excerpt from the foreign press review by eprcomunicazione)
