The deaths of four elderly people
over the last two days has been linked to the intense heatwave
Italy is currently suffering.
The fourth person to die was a 70-year-old man who collapsed on
a beach at Giovinazzo, near Bari, on Sunday.
Two of the other deaths on Saturday were also at beaches in the
southern region of Puglia, while the other suspected
heat-related fatality of an elderly person was in Rome.
At the moment 11 Italian cities are on red alert for the heat,
meaning it is so intense it is a threat to active healthy people
and not just the vulnerable.
They are: Ancona, Bologna, Campobasso, Florence, Frosinone,
Latina, Perugia, Rieti, Pescara, Rome and Viterbo.
The intense heat is forecast to continue at least until the end
of the month.
Scientists say the climate crisis caused by human greenhouse gas
emissions is making extreme weather events such as heatwaves,
droughts, supercharged storms and flooding more frequent and
more intense.
Although there are many sources of the greenhouse gases that are
causing global heating, the main driver is the burning of fossil
fuels such as oil, gas and coal, sales of which generate huge
profits for the world's energy giants.
While southern and central regions bake in the heat, many areas
of northern Italy have been experiencing another face of the
climate crisis, with torrential rain and storms causing flooding
and landslides, provoking considerable damage and disruption.
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