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HEATWAVE

Paris opens parks 24h a day so locals can cool off

Authorities in Paris are to open parks at night to allow the the capital's residents to cool off, while one MP has proposed a new law allowing workers to go home when the mercury hits 35C.

Published: 3 July 2015 17:36 CEST
Paris opens parks 24h a day so locals can cool off
Photo: AFP

Poor Parisians have been suffering under scorching temperatures in recent days but officials have moved to ease their pain.

On Friday the Town Hall in Paris announced it had agreed to keep open five large parks from Friday to Monday after France's Green party pushed for the move.

City residents can head to the parks Buttes-Chaumont, Martin-Luther-King, Montsouris, André Citroën, and Monceau to cool off at night after being pummelled by the heat wave.
 
“It's very good news,” David Belliard, a French Green party councillor, told Le Parisien newspaper. 
 
“This is a very simple measure, with a very reasonable cost compared to the benefits. You just have to look at the number of impromptu picnics throughout the capital, to realize that Parisians like to linger outside at night, especially during heat waves,” he added.
 
In addition to the five parks, 127 other smaller parks and gardens are already kept open round the clock, giving residents plenty of choice to pick a spot to cool off.
 
But for some city dwellers a park open at night is not enough.
 
Some brave or foolhardy locals, depending on your point of view, have found a more radical way to stave off the heat – by jumping into the city's canals.
 
Their new spot for an outdoor swim appears to be, the Bassin De La Villette, which links the Canal St Martin and Canal de l'Ourcq.
 
The video below from Le Bonbon website shows bathers plunging into the water from the bridge and leisurely drinking a beer or two in inflated floats.
 
 
 
“All day, my colleagues tried to dissuade me from doing this, saying it was disgusting,” said 22-year-old Gaelle with a smile as she prepared to dive into the water. 
 
She shrugged off suggestions about the pollution. “This is not much more polluted than the sea.”
 
Although swimming in such places is prohibited by the city, the ban did little to stop residents desperate to cool off. 
 
Still others have turned to legislation to give residents some respite from the heat.
 
Leftist French MP Jean-Jacques Candelier proposed to put in place “a right to leave” work once the mercury passes 35C.
 
His proposal, which will gain undoubted public support, is set to be debated in Parliament next week. 

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CLIMATE

Climate crisis: The Italian cities worst affected by flooding and heatwaves

The climate crisis is causing serious problems for Italy's biggest cities and extreme weather events are going to become more frequent, according to a new report.

Published: 21 September 2021 17:30 CEST
Climate crisis: The Italian cities worst affected by flooding and heatwaves
A file photo from November 12th, 2019 shows flooding during an exceptionally high 'acqua alta' in Venice.Photo: Marco Bertorello/AFP

Anyone who was in Italy throughout this year’s long, hot summer may suspect that heatwaves are becoming a more frequent occurrence.

And residents of the lagoon city of Venice will no doubt be able to attest to the devastating impact of serious floods, as well as to the fact that such events appear to be becoming increasingly frequent.

In fact, a new study by the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC) has confirmed that the incidence rate of both heatwaves and floods in Italy has increased significantly – and is only expected to keep rising.

READ ALSO: From Venice to Mont Blanc, how is the climate crisis affecting Italy?

The report stated that average temperatures have risen overall in the last 30 years and continue to rise in all cities.

“Risks associated with climate change affect all Italian regions and their economic sectors,” the study’s authors stated. “Despite contrasts, with different areas being affected in different ways, there are no regions that can be considered immune from climate risks.”

The report found that the southern city of Naples had experienced the biggest increase in the frequency and severity of heatwaves.

Heatwaves fuelled the most destructive fire season to date in Italy this summer Photo: Nicolas TUCAT/AFP

The southern city has in recent years reported an average of 50 more intensely hot days per year than it did at the beginning of the century.

The same figure for Milan was +30 days, Turin +29 and Rome +28. 

Although extreme weather events have always existed and Italy is no stranger to intense heat, numerous studies have found that the climate crisis is making heatwaves more frequent and more dangerous.

Meanwhile, in Venice, over the last 150 years the relative water level of the city has risen by more than 30 centimeters, and the critical threshold has been exceeded 40 times in the last 10 years, the CMCC found..

The report also warned that the city of Bologna could expect to see an increase in the intensity and frequency of flooding in the future.

READ ALSO: Floods in Italy: What to do when there’s a weather warning

It added that “all scenarios” showed an increased risk of heatwaves and urban flooding in the coming years.

In 2019, Rome was found to be the city in Europe most at risk of flooding, according to water monitoring authorities.

“There are parts of Rome that can’t withstand a heavy downpour,” said the Central Apennines District Basin Authority.

Rome’s soft soil and famous hills make it naturally vulnerable to erosion and mudslides, while the authority said poorly maintained sewers, waste dumping and vegetation blocking the course of the Tiber and Aniene rivers were contributing to the flood risk.

Previous studies have also found that Rome suffered the highest number of extreme weather events overall in recent years.

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