Why France is finally accepting air conditioners after years of saying 'no'

France’s long-standing resistance to air conditioning is fading as repeated heatwaves drive a surge in demand for cooling. With another spell of extreme heat sweeping the country, shoppers are rushing to buy AC units, schools are shutting because of unbearable classroom temperatures, and a once-cultural debate has turned into a political one, according to a report by CNN.

The latest heatwave comes even before France has fully recovered from the last one, highlighting how increasingly frequent spells of extreme heat are changing public attitudes toward cooling.

The demand has become so intense that dozens of people queued outside Lidl stores across the Paris region on Thursday in the hope of buying air conditioners before they sold out.

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In Aubervilliers, a suburb of Paris, the rush turned chaotic. The pressure of the crowd forced store doors open and fights broke out among shoppers trying to get their hands on the limited stock.

“I saw people get trampled,” one shopper told Le Parisien newspaper. “I was in shock, I got shoved around in every direction, and unfortunately I didn’t leave with an AC unit,” another shopper said.

AC demand rises as heatwaves become more frequent

Only around 24% of French households have air conditioning, according to France’s energy transition agency. Although that is an increase from 18% just two years ago, it is still far below neighboring Italy, where roughly 50% of homes have AC.

For many residents, the latest heatwave has become the tipping point.

Alexia, a 26-year-old living on the outskirts of Paris, said she decided not to wait any longer after hearing another heatwave was on the way.

“All the air conditioners I had seen to potentially buy were out of stock. So I rushed to get another one before there was absolutely none left.”

The lack of cooling infrastructure extends beyond homes. Just 7% of French schools are equipped with air conditioning, forcing thousands of schools to close during last week’s extreme heat as classroom temperatures became unbearable.

The human cost has also been severe. Health authorities recorded more than 2,000 excess deaths over six days during the peak of the June heatwave, adding urgency to calls for better protection against extreme temperatures.

Why France has traditionally avoided air conditioning

For decades, air conditioning has never been widely embraced in France. Many people have viewed it as ugly, noisy, unnecessary and, above all, American. There is also a long-held belief that breathing conditioned air can make people sick.

Instead, French buildings have traditionally relied on thick stone walls, shuttered windows and passive cooling techniques that worked well when summers were cooler.

Installing air conditioning is also complicated by strict regulations.

Many of Paris’ iconic 19th-century buildings are protected by heritage rules designed to preserve the city’s historic rooftops and facades, most of which were built during Georges-Eugène Haussmann’s transformation of Paris under Napoleon III.

Residents living in co-owned buildings must also obtain approval before installing fixed AC units, and unauthorized installations can be ordered to be removed.

Heat is turning AC into an election issue

As France moves closer to the 2027 presidential election, air conditioning has become an increasingly divisive political issue.

Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally has emerged as the strongest supporter of widespread cooling, proposing a nationwide “plan clim” to equip every school and hospital with air conditioning. The party has also called for $23 billion in government-guaranteed, interest-free loans to help between 30 million and 40 million households install AC units.

On the left, opinions remain divided.

The Greens, who have traditionally opposed widespread air conditioning, have softened their position. Party leader Marine Tondelier has acknowledged that cooling is now necessary in at least some schools and hospitals.

However, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the hard-left France Unbowed party, has continued to oppose widespread installations, warning that putting air conditioning everywhere “means causing more harm.”

The French government has adopted a middle ground, approving emergency air conditioning for hospitals while continuing to focus on insulation and better building design rather than widespread AC installation.

The issue has become politically charged enough for the Greens to file a motion of no confidence against the government on Thursday over its handling of the heatwave response. Although the motion did not pass, it underscored how climate adaptation has become a major political issue.

Climate debate continues

Opponents of widespread air conditioning have long argued that it contributes to climate change by increasing electricity consumption.

However, supporters point out that France’s electricity system is among the cleanest in the world. Around 95% of the country’s electricity comes from low-carbon sources, with nuclear power alone supplying roughly two-thirds of the national grid. That means running an air conditioner in France produces far fewer emissions than in countries such as Poland or Germany, where fossil fuels still account for a much larger share of electricity generation.

Experts also note that heavy use of air conditioners can increase temperatures within cities by releasing waste heat. While this is different from global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions, it can make urban heat worse and widen the gap between those who have access to cooling and those who do not.

Environmental activists argue that the public conversation has increasingly been reduced to a simple choice between installing air conditioning or doing without it, rather than addressing the underlying causes of climate change.

But for a growing number of French people, adapting to rising temperatures is no longer seen as optional. As heatwaves become more frequent and more intense, air conditioning is increasingly shifting from a cultural taboo to a practical necessity.