Oh, honey, here we go again. The Eurocrats are at it, blaming “inequality” for everything short of a bad hair day. This time, they’ve “discovered” that economic disparities are causing 100,000 extra deaths a year from heat and cold in Europe. You know, because poor people can't afford, like, air conditioning or insulation. Groundbreaking stuff, really.

According to these geniuses, cutting inequality to the level of Sweden or whatever utopian socialist paradise they’re obsessed with would magically reduce temperature-related deaths by 30%. Meanwhile, Southeast Romania – basically Europe's trailer park – will apparently turn into a frozen wasteland/inferno if they don't get their act together. I’m sure the Romanians are thrilled to be the poster child for European misery.

The study, which looked at mortality data from 2000 to 2019, helpfully points out that richer regions have fewer cold deaths because they have checks notes better insulated homes and healthcare. No freakin' duh. It's almost as if wealth provides…wait for it…benefits! Who could have guessed? But apparently, those same rich regions suffer more heat deaths because of the “urban heat island effect.” So, you're damned if you're rich, damned if you're poor. The only winning move is not to play, am I right?

Blanca Paniello-Castillo, some scientist at a fancy Barcelona institute, says that we could hit “two goals at the same time” if we included “equity” in all our policies. I’m sure she means well, but “equity” these days is just code for “confiscate wealth from the productive and give it to the unproductive.” That's the actual twofer!

Of course, the study conveniently ignores the fact that personal responsibility and basic technology can mitigate the effects of heat and cold. You know, things like… buying a fan. Putting on a sweater. Sealing your windows. I guess that's just too simple for the enlightened elites in Brussels.

And let's not forget that this whole thing is happening against the backdrop of the El Niño weather pattern, which is apparently going to make Europe hotter than usual. Climate change! Must be capitalism's fault, right? Never mind that China is building a coal-fired power plant every week. Focus on the inequality!

Usama Bilal, some epidemiologist who wasn't involved in the study, says it's high quality and uses “robust methods.” I’m sure it does. But robust methods can still lead to ridiculous conclusions when you start with a biased premise. Garbage in, garbage out, folks.