00:00France is facing record-breaking temperatures, but one of the biggest debates isn't about the weather.
00:05It's about air conditioning.
00:08Why have so many French people resisted AC?
00:11And why is that suddenly changing?
00:13Part of it is cultural, and part of it is environmental.
00:17As temperatures top 40 degrees Celsius, shattering previous records,
00:21millions of people across France are sweltering in homes, schools, and hospitals with little or no air conditioning.
00:28That's because only about 25% of French households have AC, compared to around 90% in the U.S.
00:36and Japan.
00:37For decades, many in France viewed air conditioning as bad for the environment.
00:42Critics argued it uses more electricity and pumps hot air back into already overheated cities.
00:49But as climate change brings longer, more intense heat waves, that thinking is beginning to shift.
00:55Now, it's become a political issue.
00:59For our right leader, Marine Le Pen is making air conditioning a campaign promise,
01:03vowing to roll out a nationwide major air conditioning plan if she wins the presidency.
01:10Even environmentalist politicians who once opposed air conditioning are breaking the taboo,
01:15acknowledging that it's now necessary in some public buildings to protect vulnerable people.
01:20So in France, air conditioning is no longer just about staying cool.
01:24It's become a symbol of a much larger question.
01:27How should Europe adapt to a warming world?
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