Turin, Italy – On July 15, two members of Extinction Rebellion descended by rope from the Vittorio Emanuele I Bridge and hung a large banner that read: “38°C in June: this is not heat, it’s climate crisis.”

Meanwhile, along the nearby Murazzi del Po, other activists distributed hand-shaped flyers to draw attention to the recent record-breaking heatwave and to denounce political inaction.

“This afternoon two people, equipped with harnesses and ropes, lowered themselves from the bridge and displayed the message,” organizers confirmed. “Others handed out fans, a symbol of how people cope with heat when air conditioning or vacation homes aren’t an option.”

Elsa, one of the participants, said, “While we spent weeks talking about the heat, the government, through Minister Schillaci, denied the seriousness of the situation. Without proper information, the heat emergency becomes a democratic emergency.”

Italy and much of Europe recently experienced record-setting heat at the very start of summer. In Turin, temperatures were 3°C above the 30-year average, with consecutive “tropical nights” above 23°C. The freezing level in the Alps surpassed 5,000 meters in June, threatening glacial stability.

A recent study linked over two-thirds of the 2,300 deaths in Europe from the current heatwave to global warming, with Milan among the hardest-hit cities.

Despite this, Health Minister Orazio Schillaci stated, “From the data we have, which is partial for now, compared to previous years we are not seeing increased mortality.”

The extreme temperatures triggered power outages in Turin due to overwhelmed electrical grids, and economic losses followed. In Bardonecchia, the Rio Fejus overflowed from heavy rain intensified by the heat, flooding streets, cutting access, and causing one death.

Alessandro from Extinction Rebellion declared, “Emergency measures are not enough. We must demand every necessary action to stop this crisis. While the government allocates 31 billion to military spending and only half a billion to climate action, the region follows suit. What kind of security are we talking about?”

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