How Europe Became the World Champion of Heat Deaths
The article examines why Europe, despite having a relatively mild climate, suffers disproportionately high heat-related deaths compared to other regions. It attributes this to factors such as aging infrastructure, lack of widespread air conditioning, an older population, and cultural norms, arguing that European cities are structurally unprepared for rising temperatures due to climate change.
Background
- Maarten Boudry is a Belgian philosopher and skeptic who writes on science, climate adaptation, and public debate.
- The piece argues Europe's heat mortality is paradoxically high because it has *adapted least*: few homes have AC, cities are built for cooler climates, elderly populations are heavily exposed. The "world champion" framing is ironic — Europe's problem isn't extreme heat but a failure to adapt.
- Key context: European heatwave deaths make headlines (tens of thousands per summer), but Boudry notes U.S. cold-snap deaths are even higher (~100,000+/year), while U.S. heat deaths are far lower because Americans widely adopted AC decades ago. This conflicts with strong anti-AC sentiment in European environmentalism.
- The piece discusses wet-bulb temperature (heat + humidity survivability), energy trade-offs between heating vs. cooling, and differences in housing stock (old brick European buildings vs. insulated American homes).