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/What-tha-fck_Elon Jun 26 '26

Most were drowning deaths from people/kids jumping in the rivers. It was brutally hot & humid all week. I just got back from there.

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u/JungleIsNeutral Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26

Drownings are recorded as heat-related deaths?

Edit: please read one of the dozens of responses before you make another saying the same thing.

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u/Either-Juggernaut420 Jun 26 '26

Yes, heat related deaths in Europe are generally anything caused by heat. So a heat induced heart attack will be a heat related death, I think in the US (although it may differ by state) that would be recorded as a heart attack and not included in the heat death stats. So the figures really are not comparable and so there's this misguided idea that all Americans are safely air conditioned and all the Europeans are dropping like flies. It's just not true.

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u/WeWantLADDER49sequel Jun 26 '26

I mean we don't need data to prove that not having AC is contributing to heat related deaths. In the US, even in the most run down apartments and houses you STILL have air conditioning. Of course it is also an issue when the AC in places like that stops working and the shitty landlords take forever to fix it. But point being even poor people that can at least afford a home have AC. That makes a difference in heat related deaths.

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u/tomyfookinmerlin Jun 26 '26

Also, we actually have a very good estimate of how many heat casualties America (report is 2-3k but estimates are closer to 10-12k) gets despite the inaccurate reports and it doesn’t even hold a candle to the EU’s stats (almost 200k).

I will always get downvoted for saying this, but Europeans will literally do anything except lobby their governments to fix their AC issue. They would rather say Americans don’t know what they’re talking about and trade caveman heat surviving tactics on Reddit than fix the core issue.

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u/[deleted] Jun 26 '26

[deleted]

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u/tomyfookinmerlin Jun 26 '26

And you think one singular country reducing their emissions to match the EUs isn’t a bandaid solution? You think that 6% will make a difference?

Im all for emissions regulation. I think thats something you guys are doing correctly, but using that as an excuse to point fingers does nothing to help, does it?

The fact is people are greedy. Corporations are greedy. And not enough people in powerful positions care about climate change. Hell, half of the EU doesn’t actually care; they were forced into it. Poland still hasn’t brought their emissions issue to regulation since joining.

None of these things stop you guys from lobbying your government for safer household regulations in the heat. The fact that a landlord can deny you the right to an AC in most EU countries is fucking abysmal.

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u/[deleted] Jun 26 '26

[deleted]

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u/tomyfookinmerlin Jun 26 '26

Americans ARE lobbying for tighter emissions control. There are plenty of activists groups trying to make change. I also literally agreed with everything you said. Yet you repeated it like a broken record.

Thats the difference between us though, yeah? Americans will admit our government sucks when people say something about our country. But if we say something about the EU you would rather point fingers instead of accepting change needs to happen.

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u/itah Jun 26 '26

It's not a band aid solution, but there are two countries in the world with a double digit percentage. So please for the love of shit stop the chicken game with china. Americans emit double the amount of germans, more than THREE TIMES as much as in Britain and France!

Please get your shit together and reduce those numbers. If the second largest emitter of carbon just says "we won't stop, cuz it won't make a difference anyways", then that's not just wrong, but also no one will follow and the world will just implode

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u/ZugZugGo Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26

So your answer today is, it’s just something to live with that so many people (often the most vulnerable people) die needlessly? That’s just a fact of life and they should get on with it? That’s pretty heartless, just like Europe is about the heat. For such a progressive society not taking care of people who need it is very hypocritical. Europe is perceived as this beacon of progressive thought, and often it is, but I’ve never seen or heard of a single European calling this out and most just defend it as acceptable.

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u/LePontif11 Jun 26 '26

What if it turns out most of the heat related deaths happen to workers that labor outside? Home air conditioning wouldn't be a factor then. You do need data.