Che caldo che fa: a campaign to tackle energy inequality

According to the World Health Organization, extreme heat has caused more than 200,000 deaths in Europe over the past four years. These figures reveal a health and social emergency, as well as a climate one, that can no longer be tackled through short-term measures alone. Cities must be ready to protect their residents by adopting long-term measures that ensure better conditions for coping with extreme heat.

Against this backdrop, Legambiente is raising awareness of the emergency through its Che caldo che fa campaign. Now in its second year, the initiative is travelling to six Italian cities to collect data and document how extreme heat affects the liveability of urban spaces. The campaign aims to show just how difficult it can be to get around cities on foot during the hottest hours of the day, especially when reaching local services, public facilities, or care and support services is a necessity rather than a choice. It also seeks to highlight the shortcomings of urban planning in many Italian cities, particularly in the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods, while drawing attention to the inequalities exacerbated by high temperatures, which affect children and older people most severely.

Naples, Milan, Terni, Rome, Turin and Bari are the six Italian cities where Legambiente volunteers, local groups and regional committees will map heat inequalities between selected neighbourhoods. They will monitor the presence of green and blue infrastructure — including natural and artificial bodies of water — collect data in the field through social citizen science, and produce detailed reports. Once the data have been gathered, the environmental organisation will put forward practical proposals to encourage local authorities to take action, adapt cities to heatwaves and protect public health, with particular attention to people affected by energy poverty and, more specifically, cooling poverty.

To find out more about the campaign and its stops in Italian cities, click here.