> I think there is a stigma people have that heating is essential for life, but A/C is optional.
I don’t know if it’s a stigma but it’s arguably a myth. Having lived both in areas where 40C is normal day after day in the summer and other areas where 0C (or below) is normal day after day in the winter, I can tell you which of heating and cooling is optional. In the extreme heat, as long as you drink enough water, you’re usually fine without air conditioning (but very uncomfortable). In extreme cold, blankets only go so far and you risk dying if the heat goes off. In my view one is definitely a luxury and the other is not.
Actually curious: is there anywhere on earth that the heat (by itself, assuming proper hydration) will kill you like the places on earth where the cold will kill you?
Temperatures over 105°F/40°C can be deadly for some people. Hydration is just one of several factors that affect how much heat the human body can handle. As far as I know, a reasonably healthy person with hydration and shelter wouldn't die from the heat alone anywhere on earth. But people often can and do die during heatwaves in many parts of the world.
In the near future, climate change will make wet-bulb temperatures higher than 35 C / 95 F possible. At that point, you are no longer able to sweat to cool your body. This can kill you in fairly short order.
2003 was a wake up call. The heat wave this year was the second hottest since 2003 and there have been a lot fewer deaths (at least in France). People are better informed and the health professionals are better prepared.
I don’t know if it’s a stigma but it’s arguably a myth. Having lived both in areas where 40C is normal day after day in the summer and other areas where 0C (or below) is normal day after day in the winter, I can tell you which of heating and cooling is optional. In the extreme heat, as long as you drink enough water, you’re usually fine without air conditioning (but very uncomfortable). In extreme cold, blankets only go so far and you risk dying if the heat goes off. In my view one is definitely a luxury and the other is not.
Actually curious: is there anywhere on earth that the heat (by itself, assuming proper hydration) will kill you like the places on earth where the cold will kill you?