麻豆传媒映画

When the American writer Henry Miller spent the 1930s in Paris, he rejoiced in a city where communal existence was celebrated, even in extremely hot weather.

Life might have been hard 鈥� and indeed very squalid at times 鈥� but people at least had time for one another.

They would meet on the boulevards, on the Seine quays, on caf茅 terraces and in parks, sharing a romantic sense of unity forged by French citizens throughout the centuries.

This was particularly so during the spring and summer, when everybody spent more time outside.

An American model?

Miller suggested that even poor and downtrodden locals 鈥� and there were many in Paris at the time, just as there are today 鈥� could feel like they were living in 鈥減aradise鈥�, whatever the climate, and this sense of life without boundaries 鈥渄istinguishes the Parisian from all other metropolitan souls鈥�.

How different to the bleak, disconnected and misnamed United States that the author returned to in the 1940s, Miller argued.

This was when he wrote a scathing memoir about his home nation entitled The Air-Conditioned Nightmare.

It portrayed cities such as New York as being full of isolated grifters obsessing behind firmly closed doors about their personal wealth, and the guns they might need to protect it.

Miller鈥檚 focus on America鈥檚 then fledgling air con systems was especially pointed.

He conjured up images of a vast continent full of extremely selfish, soulless people, all of them cocooned and showing no inclination to go out and interact.

The process of removing heat from enclosed spaces to achieve cooler interior temperatures is even easier to criticise today because of the huge environmental damage it wreaks.

Climate change concerns

As well as using up inordinate amounts of energy, air con units emit vast quantities of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, causing the earth to warm up at an alarming level.

Despite this, France鈥檚 biggest parliamentary party, Rassemblement national (RN), is now leading calls for air con to be fitted in millions more French homes.

Only 25% currently have units, in spite of an increase in the number of intense heatwaves linked to the climate emergency.

Marine Le Pen, RN鈥檚 leader, sounded like a Donald Trump-style deal broker crossed with an old Soviet Union apparatchik when she called for a 鈥渕ajor air-conditioning equipment plan鈥�.

In turn, Ms Le Pen鈥檚 opponents have accused her of stirring up a culture war, saying there is something inherently right wing about air con.

It represents a world where it is impossible to open a window anywhere, and where new arrivals are discouraged, for fear of disturbing the air flow.

Real estate prices

Air con sees the price of even the most basic accommodation skyrocket too, while extortionate maintenance charges are fixed by greedy speculators.

Of course, there are very good reasons for having air con in medical and other care units.

This is why retirement homes in France are already legally obliged to have at least one air-conditioned room during heatwaves.

Trying to mimic US states such as Florida 鈥� where more than 90% of new homes have air con 鈥� is, however, cultural lunacy.

It would completely change the face of a still very traditional France where intimacy, including regular mingling with other people on hot days, is valued well above the occasional need for safe spaces kept at an ambient temperature.

Despite changes caused by humans, western Europe still has a temperate climate, featuring cool to very warm summers.

For the majority of us, air con is unnatural, environmentally damaging, woefully expensive and 鈥� perhaps worst of all 鈥� nightmarishly alienating.