Project Syndicate op-ed argues Europe's climate response is 'fiddling while Rome burns' – a view from inland Italy

A widely debated opinion piece published this week by climate scientist Giulio Boccaletti in Project Syndicate argues that Europe's approach to extreme heat is dangerously inadequate. Boccaletti, writing from London, contends that emergency planning, disaster response and recovery efforts are no longer sufficient and that policymakers urgently need to map a long-term overhaul of infrastructure, energy systems and major economic sectors.

The essay takes as its starting point the June heatwave that created conditions for the wildfires now sweeping parts of France and Spain, before noting that Italian authorities have also acted. Boccaletti reports that Rome recently announced a new operational strategy for a hotter world, including early warning systems, green spaces, water fountains, climate shelters and grid resilience investments. He observes, however, that this is not Rome's first heat initiative: a heat health warning system was introduced in 2002, in time for the 2003 heatwave that killed an estimated 70,000 people across Europe, including more than 1,000 in the capital.

Despite two decades of emergency planning, Boccaletti writes, another massive heatwave in 2022 led to an estimated 60,000 excess deaths across Europe. 'Once again, governments announced structural responses — school closures, event cancellations, outdoor labour regulations. But while they had some positive effect, this year's heatwave showed that Europe is still far behind the curve,' he argues.