Audrey Pulvar, Paris’s deputy mayor, drew a wave of ridicule online after pointing the finger at the United States over the deadly heatwave that swept across Europe last week.
In a weekend Instagram post, Pulvar took aim at what she described as “American journalists and social media ‘influencers,’” accusing them of “criticizing and making fun of Paris” because many homes in the French capital do not have air conditioning in every room.
Air conditioning remains relatively uncommon in France, with only about 25 percent of homes fitted with it — a lower rate than in some neighboring European countries, including Spain and Italy.
According to the World Health Organization, the extreme heat has been linked to 1,300 deaths across Europe. France alone reported 1,000 excess deaths from Wednesday to Friday last week as temperatures climbed to record-breaking levels.
In southwestern France, one town registered a temperature above 111 degrees Fahrenheit on Wednesday.
Pulvar argued that Americans had played a role in worsening the conditions behind the heatwave.
“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 wrote, adding that the widespread use of air conditioning in the U.S. was “not unrelated.”
Her remarks were quickly met with sharp criticism from Americans on social media, many of whom argued that she should be directing her criticism at China instead. China emits roughly 12 billion tons of CO2 annually, compared with about 6 billion tons from the United States.
An AI-generated image shared on X depicting US air-conditioning blasting Europe with warm air
An American father and daughter enjoying their air-conditioning in a post shared on X mocking Pulvar
Paris Deputy Mayor Audrey Pulvar was sharply criticized for her post blaming Americans for Europe’s devastating heatwave
‘Let’s all behold the idiot in France blaming the great USA for [France’s] lack of basic needs and infrastructure, while ignoring China, the real world polluter,’ one user wrote.
‘Great, now do China, you complete moron,’ said another.
In the rest of her post, Pulvar touted the Paris government’s efforts to green the city while saying that AC should be used in a limited way, as it ‘aggravates the problem’ of hot weather.
‘If every American city made the same ecological transition efforts as Paris and many European cities,’ Pulvar said, ‘the whole world would be better off.’
‘You could just say thanks for the fact that you speak French instead of German,’ shot back one user, referencing the US’s role in liberating France from Nazi Germany in World War II.
Several other users boasted about the AC in their own house and said they were proud to use it.
Pulvar was also mocked for focusing on environmentalist concerns while people were dying from the heat:
‘Air conditioners do contribute to carbon emissions. You prefer deaths, like the 1300 deaths in Europe just the last few days over air conditioning?’
Parisians took to sleeping outside last night as temperatures rose above 40C
People cool off in the Trocadero Fountain near to the Eiffel Tower as temperatures rise during a heatwave affecting a large part of the country, in Paris, France, June 24, 2026
Though air conditioning systems are not strictly illegal in France, government restrictions, concerns about global warming, and high energy costs make them uncommon.
Parisians took to sleeping outside and swimming in public places to escape sweltering indoor heat.
Pulvar concluded her tirade with a comment Instagram users derided as hypocritical: ‘So please, enough with the lecture. Just start doing your part. Best regards.’
