空调不是奢侈品，而是必需品

欧洲正持续遭遇致命热浪侵袭，世界卫生组织数据显示，热浪每年导致超过17.5万欧洲人死亡1。近期的极端高温已造成严重伤亡，法国当局报告一周内至少2000例额外死亡，德国今年报告超过5000例超额死亡1。然而，欧洲80%的人口没有空调，英国仅约3%的家庭配备空调，这与近90%家庭拥有空调的美国形成鲜明对比1。美国国家经济研究局的研究估计，空调的普及使美国20世纪热相关死亡下降约75%，凸显了这项技术作为救命手段的关键作用1。

尽管现代空调能效已大幅提升，欧洲多国政府仍通过许可、噪音条例甚至禁令限制空调安装与使用1。这种政策抵制源于将空调视为耗能奢侈品的过时观念及健康恐慌1。例如，法国能源监管委员会主席Emmanuelle Wargon在2021年称冷却系统在能源消耗方面构成“重大问题”1。在2022年热浪期间，西班牙公务员María Isabel Ruiz表示“支持节能，这需要牺牲”1。相关评论指出，以生命为代价维持这些限制政策是不合理的，该文章于2026年7月14日原载于《华盛顿邮报》1。

Europe is enduring deadly heatwaves that claim more than 175,000 lives annually across the continent, according to the World Health Organization 1. Despite this, multiple European governments continue to restrict the installation and use of air conditioning through permits, noise regulations, and bans 1. French authorities have reported at least 2,000 excess deaths within a single week, while Germany has recorded over 5,000 excess deaths this year 1.

The European resistance to air conditioning stems from outdated perceptions of it as an energy-consuming luxury and health panics, even though modern units have significantly improved in energy efficiency and the technology is life-saving 1. This policy is costing lives, as evidenced by the disparity in adoption rates: approximately 80% of the European population lacks air conditioning, and only about 3% of households in the UK have it, compared to nearly 90% of households in the United States 1. Research from the U.S. National Bureau of Economic Research estimates that the widespread adoption of air conditioning reduced heat-related deaths in the U.S. by about 75% during the 20th century 1.

European officials have defended the restrictions, with Emmanuelle Wargon, head of France's energy regulatory commission, stating in 2021 that cooling systems pose a "major problem" in terms of energy consumption 1. Similarly, during the 2022 heatwave, Spanish civil servant María Isabel Ruiz stated she is "in favor of energy savings, which requires sacrifices" 1. The original article was published in The Washington Post on July 14, 2026 1.