Socialist Mayor of Paris rejects installing AC in homes: ‘Individual air conditioning is a scourge – it makes the problem worse by heating the city even more’ – Instead urges ‘cooling collective spaces’ – ‘We need to change our way of life’

By Marc Morano

June 27, 2026
5:37 am

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/politics/article/2026/06/25/paris-mayor-gregoire-on-the-climate-crisis-to-adapt-together-we-need-to-change-our-way-of-life_6754853_5.html

French Newspaper LeMonde asks: ‘Should residents also install air conditioning in their homes?’

Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire (Parti Socialiste): “It can be useful for cooling collective spaces and protecting the most vulnerable populations, but individual air conditioning is a scourge – it makes the problem worse by heating the city even more. That is why public authorities must act quickly, otherwise people will not wait: They will buy their own air conditioners and install them however they can at home, because the situation is unbearable. We need to provide answers and alternative tools.”

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Paris Mayor Grégoire on the climate crisis: ‘To adapt together, we need to change our way of life’

Elected in March to lead a city that is particularly vulnerable to extreme heat waves, Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire (Parti Socialiste) urged people to be “pragmatic” and not to respond to the current climate crisis with “promises of a better future in 10 or 15 years.”

To adapt together, we need to change our way of life. Paris’s climate trajectory means our environment will one day resemble that of Seville, and, in all countries that face these temperatures, the working day and daily rhythms are different from ours.

When we are on red alert [for high temperatures], we must be able to change the hours of public services and also those in the private sector. We need to start earlier, take a long break at midday and work later.

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The socialist leader of Paris thinks air conditioning is a “scourge.”

The French will never not but the butt of jokes. pic.twitter.com/y4dfJbjBsO

— Comfortably Smug (@ComfortablySmug) June 25, 2026

Euros would rather lead the world in heat deaths than admit Americans were right! pic.twitter.com/h62PVOvIZo

— Andrew Follett (@AndrewCFollett) June 25, 2026

Thanks for admitting that the EU’s “net zero” policies have done absolutely nothing to stop heatwaves.

Suicidal empathy strikes again, amirite? 🤣

Also, I love how you blame the ongoing EU heatwave on U.S. energy policies, but not China which produces ~6 billion more tons of… https://t.co/FnCQ4f6d72 pic.twitter.com/wxYmFGpJsj

— Chris Martz (@ChrisMartzWX) June 25, 2026

LA Times: Instead of air conditioning running in your home during heatwaves, the LA Times interviews experts suggesting “investing in a wider network of cooling centers, with transportation to help people get there.”

Time Magazine: How to fix the ‘air conditioning problem’ – ‘Terrible for Planet’ – Promotes ‘public cooling centers’ – ‘Re-orient ourselves to meaning of air-conditioning’ July 2, 2021

Time Mag: ‘New Study Finds Air Conditioners Will Exacerbate Climate Change As Planet Warms’ – ‘If all low‑income regions gained the same access to AC as rich regions, related global emissions would jump dramatically’ – March 19, 2026

Bloomberg News reveals UN climate hypocrisy: ‘A top UN climate official demanded’ Brazilian climate summit fix ‘inadequate air conditioning’ which requires immediate intervention’ for ‘well-being of delegates’ – Warned of ‘instances of heat-related health concerns’ – November 20, 2025

Climate Depot’s Marc Morano: “The entire UN climate agenda has been warning about the evils and carbon footprint of air-conditioning, yet when they hold a climate summit in a tropical city, UN officials immediately scream for colder air-conditioning! You would think that the UN, which is trying to manage energy economies centuries into the future, would’ve been able to plan a climate summit that included adequate air-conditioning, functioning toilets, and insects on the menu.

UN officials chose to hold a climate summit that featured massive amounts of meat consumption (Why are insects not being served at UN COP30 food court?), air conditioning, and a climate highway that required clear-cutting of the tens of thousands of acres of Amazon rainforest for the summit.”

‘Trust science’, Paris mayor boasts as city declares ‘there will be no air conditioning in Olympic athletes’ rooms ‘to cut the carbon footprint’ of summer Olympics – March 14, 2024

Reuters – March 14, 2024: There will be no air conditioning in the athletes’ rooms at Paris 2024, which has pledged to host the “greenest ever” Games. … Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo told those nations planning on installing air conditioning at the athletes’ village to “trust the science” instead… With climate scientists warning that global warming has produced more extreme weather patterns in much of the world, organisers of Paris 2024 have said they want to halve the carbon footprint compared with the Rio 2016 and London 2012 Summer Games. “I think we have to trust science on two counts. The first is what scientists are telling us about the fact that we are on the brink of a precipice. Everyone, including the athletes, must be aware of this,” said Hidalgo. “And secondly, we have to trust the scientists when they help us to construct buildings in a sober way that allows us to make do without air conditioning.”

Related flashback links:

NYT: Do Americans Need Air-Conditioning?