Basilicata's summer of extremes meets Europe's air-con divide

After a summer in which four separate heatwaves have pushed temperatures close to 42C in central and southern Italy, a survey across six major European nations has found that more people favour encouraging the adoption of air conditioning over keeping carbon emissions down, the Guardian reported. The poll, conducted after what the newspaper described as four extreme heat events, also found sizeable majorities who believe it should be easier to install air conditioning in homes.

The findings arrive as Basilicata, a region in Italy's south, has spent the summer at the sharp end of that trade-off. The Guardian's report noted the choice between cooling and emissions cuts is being made across the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Poland, with the preference for air conditioning prevailing in each.

For a region that endures some of Italy's most punishing summer heat, the survey captures a tension that is not abstract. Basilicata's capital Potenza sits at altitude with a continental climate, but its coastal plains and the Matera area have seen repeated heat alerts this summer, according to the Local Italy's coverage of the fifth heatwave bearing down on the south.