Turin, Italy – Activists from Extinction Rebellion covered the statue of Camillo Cavour in Piazza Carlina with emergency thermal blankets and banners reading “Tax the rich, stop climate collapse” on the eve of the COP30 summit in Brazil.

The group said the action denounces the responsibility of the super-rich in worsening the climate crisis, as well as the political and financial support that national and regional authorities continue to provide to major polluters.

According to the activists, the reflective blankets symbolize emergency response measures used during disasters such as floods and sea rescues, drawing attention to the growing number of climate-related victims worldwide.

They cited more than 16,500 heat-related deaths in Europe in 2025, hundreds of fatalities in wildfires in Los Angeles, and over 200 deaths in flooding in Valencia in 2024. Recent tornadoes in Jamaica and Cuba were also mentioned as part of the increasing toll from global warming.

Extinction Rebellion linked the worsening crisis to the investments of the world’s wealthiest 1%, noting that most of their capital remains in heavily polluting sectors such as fossil fuels and mining. The movement referenced an Oxfam report estimating that emissions from the richest 1% will cause 1.3 million heat-related deaths and $44 trillion in damage to low- and middle-income nations by 2100.

The group also accused the Italian government and the Piedmont Region of favoring the wealthy through tax policies while increasing the financial burden on middle- and low-income citizens.

“Only in Piedmont, the super-rich hold 10% of Italy’s total financial wealth,” one activist said, adding that recent fiscal measures benefit the wealthy while cutting regional funding and raising taxes for ordinary residents.

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