Number of Italian cities on heatwave red alert climbs to 15

The number of major Italian cities

with red warnings from the health ministry for extreme heat rose

from seven to 15 on Thursday.

Bari, Campobasso, Genoa, Latina, Palermo, Pescara, Rieti, and

Viterbo have joined Bologna, Brescia, Florence, Frosinone,

Perugia, Rome, and Turin on the maximum alert level.

Milan will be bumped to to red on Friday, taking the total up to

17 out the 27 major cities the health ministry monitors for its

warnings.

The red warning (Level 3) indicates a heatwave emergency with

prolonged heat and a high general risk to health, even for young

people in good health.

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.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA