European heatwave highlights low AC ownership and aging infrastructure

Record-breaking heatwaves this summer have pushed temperatures above 40 °C in major European cities such as Paris, London and Berlin. Despite high incomes, only about 20 % of households in the EU have air‑conditioning, compared with more than 85 % in the United States and Japan. Installing a single unit can cost up to 100 million VND, making it financially unattractive for a climate that historically featured short, mild summers and cool nights.

Analysts attribute the low penetration to a combination of geographic and historical factors: most European dwellings were built before the 1970s for winter heating, with thick masonry walls designed to retain heat. Strict EU air‑quality regulations since the 1980s have reduced atmospheric aerosols, unintentionally increasing solar radiation at the surface and accelerating warming. Scientific reports from Copernicus and the World Meteorological Organization note that Europe is warming at roughly 0.56 °C per decade, double the global average.

The situation has sparked debate on Asian social media, where users compare European discomfort to the inability of many Vietnamese households to afford heating. The discourse highlights broader questions about infrastructure adaptation, climate‑change impacts, and regional disparities in household comfort technology.