ROME: For the first time ever, Italian authorities placed every major city under the highest level of health emergency Thursday, as a relentless heatwave pushed temperatures past 40°C and forced governments across Europe to take drastic energy conservation measures.
The decision reflects a brutal new reality for the continent. Europe has become the fastest-warming region on the planet, and this summer has delivered a punishing sequence of shattered heat records and catastrophic wildfires. France and Spain have absorbed some of the worst damage in recent weeks. Meanwhile, European Union officials plan to pressure member states into boosting wildfire prevention budgets, with experts estimating that this season’s fires have already inflicted more than €15 billion in economic losses.
Bulgaria became the latest EU nation to battle flames on Thursday. Wind drove a massive wildfire across the Trakia highway roughly 70 km southeast of Sofia, forcing authorities to close the critical roadway in both directions, according to the NOVA news portal.
Italy’s red alert stretched the entire length of the country, from Palermo in Sicily all the way north to Bolzano in the Alps. Health ministry officials warned that sustained extreme heat now threatens the entire population, not just vulnerable groups. In Emilia-Romagna, one of the hardest-hit regions, thermometers hit 42.8°C in Bagnacavallo near Ravenna. Pilgrims attending a papal visit to Assisi endured the sun with periodic misting from water sprays, while tourists in Rome shielded themselves with umbrellas and cooled their hands in the city’s iconic fountains.
Hungary responded to the crisis by killing decorative lighting at state institutions, including its parliament building, much of Buda Castle, and the Chain Bridge. The move comes as record-low Danube water levels forced the near-total shutdown of the country’s lone nuclear plant, which depends on the river for cooling. Romania prepared to sink rock-filled barges into the Danube to redirect water toward its own reactor and buy a few extra operational days. Bucharest dimmed streetlights by a third and extinguished illumination at landmark buildings and museums.
Moldova’s prime minister Vasile Tofan pressed citizens to slash power consumption or brace for rolling blackouts, as neighbors Ukraine and Romania struggled to cover peak demand. “We need to use a bit of common sense, we need to turn off the lights,” he told reporters. Low water levels on Germany’s Rhine, a vital artery for grains, minerals, coal, and oil products, forced vessels to sail with partial loads and drove up freight costs.
For some, relief came underground. Tourists in southern Bosnia flocked to the UNESCO-listed Vjetrenica cave, where temperatures hold steady at 11°C year round, a sanctuary for both biodiversity and overheated humans escaping the 40°C heat outside.
