Europe is now the fastest heating continent, and Paris is suffering greatly under 100-plus Fahrenheit temperatures. That has inspired some conservative Americans to politicize the French aversion to air conditioning. In return, many in France are blaming Americans' burning of planet-warming fossil fuels to power their ACs.

Whose voice hits the high note? Both, really.

The Wall Street Journal holds that the easy answer for France is to install air conditioners. It got all huffy when Paris Deputy Mayor Audrey Pulvar remarked, "As the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world, you bear a significant responsibility for global warming and the consequences we, in France, are experiencing." She specifically cited the energy Americans use to run their ACs.

Pulvar neglected to name the No. 1 emitter of greenhouse gases, which is China. And blaming the U.S. for the oppressive heat that is closing schools and offices — and endangering the health of the very young, old and those with certain medical conditions — does nothing to ease the current suffering. The French right is making that same argument.

All that said, air conditioning has become much more energy-efficient. The popular mini-splits — separate units in different rooms — use far less energy than central air. Owners can thus cool only the room they're using.

However, the French antipathy to air conditioning has its reasons. Northern cities like Paris have traditionally experienced relatively cool summers. Air conditioning units hanging out the windows mar the historic streetscapes. They make noise and send indoor hot air outside where it's already sweltering.

And climate change is something that previous American administrations have addressed but the current one denies even exists, despite evidence to the contrary. It's wreaking havoc on much of this country as well, bringing massive wildfires, flash flooding, withering crops and water shortages in the West. The list goes on.

It's not true that there's nothing we Americans can do about this long-term threat. But there's little the French can do about this and last summer's heat. Barring a sudden spell of cool air, they will have to start bringing relief to the people.

Otherwise, the economy will suffer along with the Parisians. The American South knows the importance of air conditioning to its economic viability. Air conditioning takes much credit for the Sun Belt boom following World War II. Atlanta, Houston, Phoenix and Miami became acceptable places for corporate offices. Before the advent of AC, Southerners relied on architecture and nature to make high temperatures bearable. The older houses feature high ceilings, sleeping porches and shade trees.

(In the 19th century, many foreign dignitaries refused to visit Washington, D.C. in the summer because of the humid heat, not to mention mosquitoes and malaria.)

Proposals for our cities, northern as well as southern, include digging up more of the urban hardscape. Pocket parks, putting greenery in schoolyards and on medians, and installing rain gardens to capture water are in the plans.

Paris has tree-lined boulevards but not much more in the way of green spaces. Chicago and New York both do a lot better on that front. An impervious surface covers 75% of Paris, whereas even Manhattan is only 63% enclosed by asphalt, parking lots, concrete sidewalks and other surfaces that water cannot easily soak through.

Paris, by the way, has a plan to incorporate more plants into the city's landscape. That could help. And international efforts to seriously confront the threat of rising temperatures would save the entire planet. In the meantime, air conditioning can get the people through this and the torrid summers to come.

But what Parisians do is ultimately up to the Parisians, not partisans in the United States. N'est-ce pas?

Follow Froma Harrop on X @FromaHarrop. She can be reached at [email protected]. To find out more about Froma Harrop and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators webpage at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Luis Graterol at Unsplash