In the war being waged on climate scolds, the hoi pelloi, reports the WSJ, the public is putting comfort and public health above green dictates.

• 23% of German households now have AC—“five percentage points more than a year ago”—and another 25% plan to get it.

• In Belgium the share of energy used for household cooling has increased 167% since 2022, the Brussels Times reports.

• France’s Agency for Ecological Transition says AC ownership rose to 24% of households last year from 18% in 2023, this in spite of the government pestering the public to wet their skin, drink cold soup and block windows with cardboard to beat the heat—anything to avoid resorting to AC.

The retailer Carrefour claims it sold 30,000 AC units in a day amid a heat wave last month— ”a thousand times more than on a normal day.” CEO Alexandre Bompard told the Agence France-Presse about scuffles over the limited retail supply. Some French restaurants even advertise that they now have AC.

Et Tu, Britain?

The co-founder of Aircon Services, an air-conditioning specialist in Tamworth, told the BBC he’s seen a 300% increase in domestic inquiries over six years.

Aervue Air Conditioning in Birmingham now has employees working seven days a week to meet demand, and it’s booked through August.

Compared to the same period last year, Chinese exports of AC units to the European Union have increased by more than 43% in the first half of 2026.

Midea, a Chinese appliance company, expanded production capacity to meet demand and recently shipped 20,000 air conditioners to France in a week, according to the South China Morning Post.

The French Now Using Deodorant

The WSJ wonders whether this is just another example of citizens revolting against mandates and the moralizing of government and progressive elites. AC is the result of capitalist inventors determined to make a product that would improve people’s lives.