Audrey Pulvar, deputy mayor of Paris, invited online mockery after blaming the US for the deadly heatwave that struck Europe last week.

In an Instagram post over the weekend, Pulvar complained about the ‘American journalists and social media “influencers”‘ she said had been ‘criticizing and making fun of Paris, because the city doesn’t have AC in every room of every apartment.’

Only around 25 percent of French homes are equipped with air conditioning, lagging behind even other European countries like Spain and Italy.

The World Health Organization says the heat has caused 1,300 deaths across the continent, with France reporting 1,000 excess deaths between Wednesday and Friday last week as the country shattered records. 

One town in southwestern France recorded a temperature of over 111 degrees Fahrenheit on Wednesday.

Pulvar blamed Americans for contributing to 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 said, adding that America’s AC abundance was ‘not unrelated.’

But she was brutally mocked by Americans on social media, with many suggesting she should criticize China instead which contributes roughly 12 billion tons of CO2 per year, compared to the United States at about 6 billion tons.

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.’