Europe is kidding itself if it thinks it can get by with just worrying about surviving winter.

As temperature patterns change, the entire civilized world is going to need to be air conditioned or suffer in 95+ degree heat during summertime.

Global warming is real and our sun is getting hotter. Long-term economic savings will be seen only when folks develop better and more efficient air-conditioning.

Just a small unexpected spike in solar output and the world would be a nightmare. Suffering and deaths unimaginable all over the world. It would make Katrina and the tsunami appear like warm up acts for the real disater.

Energy demands would quadruple almost overnight.

In my recent trips to Europe I was shocked at how many hospitals were still without air conditioning. It was like going back in time to 1950!

It's clear folks didn't learn the lessons of France where 15000! people died in one month - because of no air conditioning!

Here, Katrina will probably end up with a death toll of around 600-800 and the director of FEMA had to be replaced, while Bush apologized for the response.

The truth is, "having no air conditioning" killed more people in France than did both gulf wars, hurricane Katrina and you can throw in a few major plane crashes in the casualty total as well.

Isn't that Europe's wake-up call?

The future heat waves will make that one appear mild. Millions will perish needlessly because of a lack of air conditioning.

What I'm seeing is a continent obsessed with saving money and energy, at the expense of human lives.

Now is the time for the wide-scale installation of air-conditioning and preparing for the power needs of that air-conditioning.