Jung Jun-sung's Yeomin Dongnak (355) 'Air Conditioner Penetration Rate'

South Korea's household air conditioner penetration rate has reached as high as 98%.

This means almost every household has an air conditioner.

When summer arrives, it has become routine for every home to run their air conditioners at full blast.

However, Europe is different. France in particular has a penetration rate of about 24% per household.

The United Kingdom is even lower, with only around 10% in many areas.

The reason is simple: air conditioning was not necessary due to the weather.

European summers are dry, so it is cool in the shade if you simply avoid direct sunlight.

Particularly in terms of geography, the United Kingdom and Germany have historically had no real need for air conditioning.

The United Kingdom has experienced relatively mild summer temperatures due to its maritime climate influence.

Germany likewise developed residential culture centered on heating and insulation rather than cooling.

However, global warming and climate change are transforming European summers into a complete 'inferno'.

In just ten years' time. Previously, European summers were bearable and good for traveling.

But as global warming melted Arctic ice, it transformed into a 'giant oven'.

And it has become the continent experiencing the fastest warming on Earth.

Particularly this year, with record-breaking heatwaves exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, summer has not even arrived yet but over 1,300 people have already died.

In France alone, over 1,350 schools have closed or shortened their classes.

Outdoor festivals and sporting events have been completely banned.

Hospitals, funeral homes, and morgues that cannot even take such measures are truly hellish.

The number of heat-related patients and deaths has surged dramatically, reaching capacity limits.

France is one of the countries with a distinctly anti-air conditioner stance.

78% of French people believe air conditioning has a negative environmental impact.

Moreover, one in six of the population has stated they are willing to endure extreme heat for the sake of the global environment.

This is not unrelated to the low air conditioning penetration rate of about 24% and lack of cooling facilities.

However, as heatwaves become routine due to climate change, there is a clear trend of overcoming the limits of 'summers without air conditioning'.

Compared to last year, fan sales increased 332%, and air conditioner sales increased 237%.

Moreover, due to cooling device shortages, 'opening run' shopping for air conditioners and fans is occurring across France.

As a result, the question of whether air conditioning operation is 'essential or a luxury' has even escalated into a left-right political dispute.

Record-breaking heat and its environmental and human impact are truly formidable.