On Sunday, eastern Brandenburg in Germany reached a record temperature of 41.7°C. Mario, a 65-year-old retired handyman, bought an air conditioner two years ago. He says, "The summers are slowly getting warmer. And as you get older, the heat gets harder to endureendure/ɪnˈdjʊər/L2忍受，忍耐to suffer or experience something difficult or painful without giving up." Only 6% of German homes have air conditioning. This is much lower than in the United States, where 90% of homes have it.
Europe is facing its worst heatwaveheatwave/ˈhiːtweɪv/L1热浪，一段非常炎热的天气a period of very hot weather on record. The lack of air conditioning has been criticized. However, the World Health Organization's Hans Kluge says both air conditioning and long-term solutions like shade and insulationinsulation/ˌɪnsjʊˈleɪʃən/L2隔热材料，绝缘material used to stop heat, cold, or sound from passing through are important. Studies show that death tolls from extreme heat have fallen by 75% in the last two decades. But heatwaves are getting hotter. More than 200,000 people died from heat in Europe in the last four years.
In Germany, the far-right AfD party now supports air conditioning. One year ago, they played down heat deaths. Some residents in Neuzelle denydeny/dɪˈnaɪ/L2否认，否定to say that something is not true climate change. A retired electrician said that climate change is exaggerated. Experts say air conditioning is needed for hospitals and care homes. But they also warn about its downsidesdownsides/ˈdaʊnsaɪdz/L2缺点，不利方面the negative parts or disadvantages of something, like using energy and making streets hotter.
