You might have heard that it has been hot for a few days in much of Europe. Or did you miss this news in Perth, Chiang Mai, Phoenix and Nagasaki? If you did, it has been the only story on French, German and UK news outlets. It has had government agencies from Munich to Mulhouse in a sweaty flap. It has closed schools and brought about alcohol bans. And these record-breaking temperatures in some cities have caused all manner of heat-related deaths – drowning being one of the key causes in France. As heat-related news events go, this couldn’t be happening at a better time as it coincides with the end of the first half of a – so far – economically challenging year in Europe and the start of summer holidays for many millions. Is it not the perfect moment for policymakers, union bosses, mayors and anti-air-conditioning ninnies across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the UK, France and beyond to gather in an airless convention centre and finally agree that keeping windows closed and curtains drawn during stifling days is neither a national health strategy nor a path to revitalising saggy economies?
Among the tens of thousands who read our daily dispatches, I hope that one of you can do some simple analysis that reveals strong links between Europe’s economic decline, warmer summers and too little air conditioning. If things weren’t bad enough already, the health and safety high-vis brigade were out in force closing schools, curbing factory hours, preventing rosé quaffing and creating a nannying atmosphere that felt dangerously close to covid policy overreach. All of which is somewhat curious because many of these ninny-nannies are also the same people who think that anything which cools air is an environmental evil until, of course, their granny in Lausanne or Graz can no longer function and suddenly it’s AC to the rescue.
On Friday, the French media reported that the government approved the purchase of 30,000 air conditioners for medical facilities. Go Mitsubishi or whoever else lands this contract! In a week that saw us launch our Quality of Life ranking, it’s perhaps fitting that Tokyo took top prize. This is a city that is hot from April to October but is also well cooled along with being a generally cool metropolis. Did Japan become a manufacturing powerhouse because people were collapsing on Toyota assembly lines? No. Japan became a leading economy because it created work and service environments that stay chilled. Admittedly, the recent Cool Biz campaign is a bit ridiculous (keeping workspaces at 28C) and I would argue that such moves have also been tied to Japan’s economic sluggishness. Hard to be at your best when the room temp hovers around 28C.
It’s for this reason that I propose the “Daikindex”, in honour of the world’s biggest air conditioning player and its contribution not only to blissful sleeps but also to the productivity that comes with them. Perhaps next year we will factor in overall cool coverage in a city for our rankings in 2027 – both shady boulevards and also chilled suites, shops, offices and apartments. I’m now off to find some units for our Paris and Zürich offices.
Enjoying life in ‘The Faster Lane’? Click here to browse all of Tyler’s past columns.
