European summers are getting brutally hot. So why is air conditioning so rare?

…While nearly 90% of US homes have air conditioning, in Europe it’s around 20%. As climate change drives more severe and prolonged heat waves, which arrive earlier and earlier, some are questioning why wealthy European countries have been seemingly reluctant to adopt air conditioning — especially as the heat takes an increasingly deadly toll. … “In Europe… we simply don’t have the tradition of air conditioning… because up to relatively recently, it hasn’t been a major need,” said Brian Motherway, head of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Inclusive Transitions … Buildings on the continent tend to be older, built...