Is Europe embracing air conditioning as deadly heat waves become more common?

Many Europeans have long seen air conditioning as an unnecessary, costly, carbon emissions-heavy indulgence. But as the continent's summers get hotter, claiming more lives as they do, that appears to be changing.

Over the last week, 40 people died in France from drowning as they sought relief from extreme heat. In Spain, temperatures hit 111 degrees, and the U.K. is enduring its hottest June on record. Every year, heat claims an average of 175,000 lives across Europe, according to the World Health Organization...