Sources confirm that France has just recorded its highest temperature ever, with the mercury touching a staggering 45.9°C in the southern town of Gallargues-le-Montueux. While the French swelter, the UK braces for a different kind of heat: a political storm over air conditioning.
Uncovered documents from Whitehall suggest that the government is split on how to handle the rising demand for air conditioning in public buildings. On one side, the Treasury argues that the cost of retrofitting schools, hospitals, and government offices with AC units could run into billions, a burden on taxpayers already feeling the pinch. On the other, health officials warn that without cooling, vulnerable populations face serious risks as heatwaves become the new normal.
This is not just a debate about comfort. It is about unaccountable power. The big energy companies stand to profit handsomely from a nationwide AC rollout. They have lobbied hard behind closed doors. My sources tell me that meetings between energy executives and ministers have increased threefold in the past month.
But here is the catch: air conditioning is a massive energy guzzler. It uses more electricity than any other appliance in a typical home. If we all embrace AC, we will need more power plants. And where does that power come from? Currently, a significant chunk comes from gas and coal. The government's own climate advisors have flagged this, but their warnings have been buried.
Meanwhile, the French example shows that this is not going away. The heatwave that hit France is the third this year, and scientists say such events are now five times more likely due to climate change. The UK's record temperature still stands at 38.7°C, but that was in 2019. It is only a matter of time before we break that.
The political divide is sharp. Labour has called for a national cooling strategy, including subsidies for AC in care homes and schools. The Tories are hesitating, worried about the cost and the optics of a green government promoting energy-hungry appliances. The Liberal Democrats are pushing for a green alternative: better insulation, green roofs, and tree planting to reduce the urban heat island effect.
But let's be real, those measures take years. People are dying now. In the UK, heat-related deaths are already around 2,000 a year. This number is expected to triple by 2050. We are sleepwalking into a crisis.
Follow the money. Who benefits from delay? The energy companies. Who pays? The public, in more ways than one. The air conditioning debate is a proxy for a larger issue: how we balance short-term needs with long-term survival. The government's inaction is a ticking bomb.
As France bakes, we must ask: is the UK prepared? The evidence suggests not. The political divide is real, and it could leave us defenceless against the heat. Stay tuned. This story is just heating up.
