Jongseong Jeong's Yeomon Dongnak (355) 'Air Conditioner Penetration Rate'

The air conditioner penetration rate in Korean households has reached an astounding 98%.

Nearly every home has an air conditioner.

When summer arrives, it has become a natural part of daily life for every household to run their air conditioners at full blast.

But Europe is different. Particularly in France, the penetration rate per household is about 24%.

In the United Kingdom, it is even lower, with only 10% or so.

The reason is simple. It was due to weather that simply did not require air conditioning.

European summers are dry, so in the shade, it is cool as long as you avoid direct sunlight.

Particularly from a geopolitical standpoint, the United Kingdom and Germany have not actually needed cooling until now.

The United Kingdom has relatively mild summer temperatures due to the influence of a maritime climate.

Germany also developed a residential culture centered on heating and insulation rather than cooling.

However, global warming and climate change are completely transforming European summers into 'infernos'.

It has been only about 10 years. Until recently, European summers were tolerable and good for travel.

But as global warming melted Arctic ice, it has transformed into a 'giant oven'.

And it has become the continent where global warming is progressing fastest on Earth.

Particularly this year, with record-breaking heat waves exceeding 40 degrees Celsius, summer has not even arrived yet and more than 1,300 people have already died.

More than 1,350 schools in France alone are either closed or operating shortened classes.

Outdoor festivals and sporting events have been completely banned.

Hospitals, funeral homes, and morgues, which cannot even take such measures, are literally hell.

As heat-related patients and deaths surge, they have reached the limits of capacity.

France is one of the countries with a distinctly anti-air conditioning stance.

78% of French people believe that air conditioning has a negative impact on the environment.

Moreover, 1 in 6 of the population has expressed willingness to endure extreme heat for the sake of the global environment.

This is not unrelated to the about 24% air conditioner penetration rate and inadequate cooling facilities.

However, as extreme heat waves become commonplace due to climate change, there is a clear trend toward overcoming the limitations of 'summers without air conditioning'.

Compared to last year, fan sales increased 332%, and air conditioner sales increased 237%.

Moreover, due to a shortage of cooling appliances, 'open-run' purchasing of air conditioners and fans is occurring throughout France.

This has escalated into a left-right political dispute over whether operating air conditioners is "essential or a luxury".

The impact of record-breaking heat, the environment, and its effects on human life are indeed significant.