Surrounded by Fire--Palermo, Italy
While I continue to be optimistic that humanity will solve climate change, and we can see progress, there are also events like this that are changing everything.
Reports from the BBC indicate the dire situation in Sicily this week.
Wildfires are raging in Sicily after weeks of record-breaking temperatures, with local media warning that the city of Palermo is "encircled" by fires…
Can you imagine? Your whole city encircled by fire, temperatures (not heat index, which is likely much higher) far exceeding 110°C for weeks. Smoke so thick you can’t breathe…
Meanwhile, Sicily - which has already been brought to its knees by a prolonged heatwave - is battling wildfires that are threatening towns and cities across the island. Temperatures of more than 47.5C (117F) were recorded in Catania on Monday.
Several resorts and tourist hotspots around the island have began evacuating their guests.
Palermo Airport was temporarily closed to air traffic on Tuesday morning after wildfires in the hills around it reached the airport perimeter.
People are dying, but these are only the ones we know about…
The fires are causing deaths across southern Italy. Local media reported that two bodies were found charred in a house near Palermo airport.
In Sicily, an 88-year-old woman died after falling ill, as the fires prevented emergency services reaching her.
A 98-year-old man in the region of Calabria died when the flames from a wildfire reached his home where he was bedbound.
In Sardinia, a firefighter died of a stroke after spending hours battling a blaze.
A firefighter was seriously injured near Palermo while trying to tackle one of the blazes, which are being fuelled by high winds, local media reported.
More than 200 people in Palermo have already sought medical attention for smoke inhalation. Two hospitals have suspended routine appointments to ensure people suffering from smoke inhalation or other illnesses related to the extreme heat can be looked after.
Even worse, nothing you need is working. It is one thing to fight a disaster in the making. It is something else entirely when the tools you need are inoperable because of the very disaster you are facing.
Half of the bus network in Palermo has been suspended as the vehicles are overheating and cannot cool down because of consistently high temperatures.
Hospital Cervello, in the north of the city, is being threatened by the flames, while some wards have been evacuated, Italian media said.
The farmers' association, Coldiretti, said Sicily was facing an "unprecedented catastrophe and incalculable environmental damage".
The minister for civil protection, Nello Musumeci, wrote on Facebook: "This is one of the hardest days in Italy's history for 10 years. Climate change has hit our nation and demands that we all change our ways. There are no excuses."
"We knew that today would be the hardest day," Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told Italian radio RTL 102.5. "We have a situation where very high temperatures are combined with wind, which makes using Canadair [firefighting aircraft] impossible."
"We are following the situation, which is very delicate, minute by minute.".
Away from these fires in Sicily, northern Italy and Milan were hit by fierce storms, prompting this from the Mayor of Milan:
The mayor of the city, Giuseppe Sala, said: "I have never seen anything like this... We can't deny it any longer - climate change is changing our lives.
"We can't pretend it's not happening and we absolutely can't keep doing nothing," Mr Sala said in a video shared on Facebook.
Listen to what he said: “climate change is changing OUR lives.” Not, “it will change lives,” nor “it is affecting other people, poor people, etc.” We all hear this stuff all the time. No. “Climate change is changing OUR lives.” We need to hear that, and we need to get to work.