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CLIMATE CRISIS

Why are protesters glueing themselves to Italian artworks?

Environmental group Ultima Generazione has staged a series of controversial demonstrations over the past few weeks. But why are artworks involved?

Published: 20 August 2022 09:43 CEST
Ultima Generazione activists demonstrating inside Rome's Vatican Museums
On Thursday, August 18th, two Ultima Generazione activists glued their hands to the statue of Laocoön and His Sons in Rome’s Vatican Museums. Photo by Alessandro Pugliese

On Thursday, two people made headlines after they glued their hands to a statue in Rome’s Vatican Museums – the statue of Laocoön and His Sons – and unfolded a banner reading ‘No Gas, No Coal’.

This was only the latest in a series of demonstrations staged by environmental group Ultima Generazione (Last Generation), who have regularly featured in the news for more than two months now – usually after glueing themselves to one of Italy’s famous artworks.

In July, activists from the same group stuck their hands to the glass protecting Botticelli’s Primavera at Florence’s Uffizi Gallery.

The group began protesting by staging sit-ins on Rome’s Highway A90 (commonly known as ‘Grande Raccordo Anulare’) in early June, but has since moved on to target public museums and galleries – though the significance here is less obvious.

On the back of the latest protest, many wondered what exactly the link was between the environmental cause and the famous artworks involved.

Ultima Generazione began in 2021 as a “campaign of nonviolent civil disobedience” aimed at uniting Italian campaigners concerned about climate change and the future of the planet.

The name Last Generation stems from its members’ belief that the current generation of world citizens is the last one with a real chance of changing the status quo before the ecological damage inflicted on our planet becomes irreparable. 

READ ALSO: Water levels on Italy’s Lake Garda drop to 15-year low as drought continues

According to the group’s website, they have two main demands. Firstly, they ask that the reopening of old coal power plants be paused immediately and that all scheduled fracking operations be cancelled. 

Secondly, they want an increase in the use of solar energy and wind power equivalent to at least 20 gigawatts. 

After the Uffizi protest, the group published a note explaining the reasons behind their association with the art world.

They said that “the country should see to the protection and wellbeing of the planet […] in the same way in which it defends its artistic patrimony”.

Aside from the above connection, Ultima Generazione activists have also been known to draw specific parallels between popular artworks and the current socio-political climate. 

READ ALSO: Will summer 2022 be Italy’s hottest ever?

For instance, the statue of Laocoön and His Sons was targeted earlier this week because, the group explained, much like Laocoön, scientists and activists looking to warn the public about the “consequences of today’s actions” are not being listened to or, even worse, “they are being silenced by politicians”. 

For the sake of context, according to Greek mythology, Laocoön was the Trojan priest who advised his fellow citizens not to let the wooden horse – a gift from the Greeks – into town. His advice was disregarded and Troy later fell at the hands of the Greek soldiers hidden in the horse.

It isn’t clear when or where the next Ultima Generazione demonstration will take place, though, back in July, the group said they would target museums in Florence, Venice, Milan and Rome.

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ENVIRONMENT

OPINION: Why Italy lags behind Europe on green policies – and things aren’t changing

With climate protests by young Italians and talk of clean energy policy, will Italy finally change its ways and catch up with other European countries? Silvia Marchetti argues a much bigger cultural shift is needed before Italy could truly go green.

Published: 16 May 2024 10:50 CEST
OPINION: Why Italy lags behind Europe on green policies - and things aren't changing

There’s a lot of talk about environmental-friendly practices and spreading awareness on climate change, but I must admit Italians are perhaps the least eco-conscious of all Europeans. 

We struggle to keep up with the rest of Europe. From buying more bottled water than almost any other country to repeatedly delaying a ‘plastic tax’ and dumping on beaches and in parks, it’s part of a general cultural attitude which has very little ‘green’ in it, even though the pandemic and soaring energy costs have pushed a minority of Italians to become perhaps a bit more careful. 

Too many Italians just have that ‘che me ne frega’ approach (meaning ‘I really don’t care’), which gets on my nerves and is quite ingrained in the general mentality. 

When I used to live in Holland back in 2002, there were drinking water fountains everywhere, people filled their own portable insulated bottles which were not made of plastic, and which seemed to me so cool and fashionable.

While in Rome we have the famous fontanoni (historical water spouts), locals either use their hands to drink, or still buy glass and plastic cups and bottles to fill and then throw away. 

When it comes to recycling waste, only half of Italy does it properly, while the Baltic countries are the most efficient waste-wise among the 27 members of the European Union. 

I live north of Rome, in the countryside, and differentiated waste disposal services arrived in my comune just six years ago, while at my seaside house south of the capital, this happened only last year. In Rotterdam, where I lived during university, citizens had been recycling waste since at least a decade earlier. 

READ ALSO: Why Trento is ranked as Italy’s ‘greenest’ place to live

Some 25 years ago, when I was in Geneva, people walking their dogs would scoop up their pets’ poo with recyclable gloves and place it in neat plastic bags; that’s something you’d see hardly anyone do even nowadays in Italy.

I’m at times ashamed of saying so, but we have really bad habits – like keeping the tap water running even when you don’t need it, such as during one-hour showers or while brushing teeth, turning the lights on at night in the garden when everyone is at home and no guests are expected, and buying endless motorini (scooters) for the kids and then one car per adult family member.

The Italian love of cars results in heavy traffic and dangerous levels of pollution – but will this ever change? (Photo by ANDREAS SOLARO / AFP)

I think this is all due to the fact that most Italians are very showy, even in energy consumption. Keeping house lights or car usage down to a minimum would imply to neighbors a state of precarious wealth, if not almost poverty. 

There’s another factor that plays a major role. Italy, as opposed to other European countries, has always heavily relied on gas and oil consumption, not on alternative green energy that still sounds quite futuristic. This dependency on fossil fuels will likely lead to our demise if we don’t act.

READ ALSO: Italians and their cars are inseparable – will this ever change?

The post-pandemic funds given by the European Union should boost investments in alternative and green energy, but the effects will only be seen in the long run.

In order to have a positive impact, the money must be efficiently spent. Almost 37 percent of a total €191 billion of European aid is expected to go into funding green investments in Italy over the next few years. 

But it all reads very vague at the moment, and I’m afraid the Italian approach might change only slightly, no matter the ambitious government plans. It’s more wishful thinking. 

In the rest of Europe children are taught about climate change and how to adopt good practices in everyday life. I have friends in Belgium whose kids read about recycling plastic and reducing weekly the number of plastic water bottles they buy.

READ ALSO: What is it with Italians and bottled water?

In order to have a radical change in Italians’ attitudes, environmental awareness must be spread inside schools and among children. It really depends on the future generations.

The younger generations, born in an era already marred by environmental damage, are the only ones in Italy who can really ‘go green’ in everything they do and consume.

Recent protests by student climate change activists in Italy, even if small compared to those staged across Europe, are a sign of a changing mentality among youth.

But in order to further spread awareness, a more pro-environmental education is paramount.

Unfortunately though, there is no political debate around improving education on environmental issues in Italy, mainly due to a lack of political wisdom or forward-looking strategy.

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