French aversion to air-conditioning melts as homes sizzle

France recorded its hottest day since measurements began in nineteen forty-seven. On Wednesday, the national weather service confirmed this new record high, prompting a long-overdue cultural reckoning: the country has historically rejected air conditioning as un-French and wasteful. But as homes sizzle in unprecedented heat, even French pride is melting—and attitudes toward air conditioning are shifting with it.

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