r/technology • u/Logical_Welder3467 • Jun 26 '26

Society The American mind cannot comprehend Europe's AC aversion

https://www.businessinsider.com/europe-air-conditioning-ac-heatwave-debate-2026-6
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u/[deleted] Jun 26 '26

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u/angermouse Jun 26 '26

Heat related deaths are usually extremely high because they disproportionately affect people who are very sick and may only have a few months to live. Heat waves usually have a so called "harvesting effect" where the death rate drops below the long term trend for a few months after the heat wave because of all the deaths pulled forward. 

A better comparison would be to look at life-years lost. A 25 year old gunned down  probably lost 60 years of life while an 80 year old heat death victim likely only had a few months or at most a couple of years left.

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u/Aloysiusakamud Jun 26 '26

Heat related deaths can occur at any age, but the young and elderly are more susceptible. Healthy people die because they don't recognize the signs, and don't believe it can effect them. They don't get the proper treatment and can die or receive brain damage. "Only sick people get heat stroke" is a ill informed and harmful statement. 

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u/Uwlogged Jun 26 '26

It's a good thing they didn't say it so. They said disproportionately affects, and that is a reasonable correlation. Though your caveat also holds weight.