THE WAVE OF heatwaves that have pounded European countries since June are making life miserable for millions of people.

Sweating more than most are the politicians of the far right who have spent the last decades denouncing climate change as a scam or furiously working to undo environmental regulations.

To distract from their record of denialism, they are now rounding on incumbent governments for failing to roll out air conditioning for homes and public buildings.

People in the cooling mist during a heatwave, Budapest. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Even in Ireland, where most people will welcome the sunshine and warm days, those left to work in buildings where air conditioning is rare will be feeling the pressure.

Bearing in mind that this is not a new normal, weather extremes will continue to worsen so long as we keep pumping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Adapting our towns and workplaces to these new conditions is an urgent task.

The most important path to protecting ourselves from the dangerous effects of climate change is to stop the emissions of greenhouse gases and, in particular, to stop burning fossil fuels.

Cities in heatwaves create a 'heat island effect' which means the concrete absorbs the heat of the day. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

However, even in the most optimistic of scenarios, global temperatures are going to continue to rise for the foreseeable future. Responding to this inevitability is referred to as climate adaptation and will require greater rollout of air conditioning in hospitals, nursing homes and other key buildings where this technology can save lives.

However, the downside of air conditioning is that without clean energy to power it, it........

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