City in Sicily measures a temperature of 48.8 degrees: "This is not a positive record, it's a problem"

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Heat wave in Sicily: As here in Catania, the thermometers are currently showing maximum temperatures

Photo: Salvatore Cavalli / AP

At around 7 p.m. on this Thursday evening, Marco Carianni is still sitting in his office in the Floridia town hall. "Yesterday I was here until 10 p.m.", says the 24-year-old mayor of the small town with around 22,000 inhabitants in the province of Syracuse in Sicily. It is not surprising that Sicily's youngest mayor is currently working overtime, because something historical happened in Floridia last Wednesday. The thermometers of the Sicilian weather service "Servizio Informativo Agrometeorologico Siciliano" (SIAS) are said to have indicated 48.8 degrees in the urban area. If the national weather service confirms the number, it would be the highest temperature ever recorded in all of Europe. "Not a positive record," says the young mayor in a telephone interview.He sees the value more as a warning and an occasion for urgent measures to combat climate change.

SPIEGEL:

Mr. Carianni, how did you experience the day when 48.8 degrees were measured in your community?

Carianni:

I was in the town hall the whole time.

From the morning I was in constant contact with the city police.

They were in the places where mainly older people and children meet, with us that is mainly the places, but the city was completely empty.

Most of them voluntarily stayed at home because of the heat.

Even the few who went to the seaside in the afternoon had to go back immediately because it was too hot even on the beach.

SPIEGEL:

What are the city's senior citizens saying about the heat wave?

Carianni: You

have never experienced such heat.

Of all population groups, they feel the high temperatures the most.

It felt up to 50, 51 degrees.

SPIEGEL:

The heat wave is also affecting the other municipalities in the province.

In Syracuse, the civil defense distributed water bottles.

In Lentini, the mayor has forbidden by municipal ordinance to lead dogs on the street between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.

Were special measures necessary in Floridia too?

Carianni:

Fortunately not

so

far.

The people here were very sensible.

Of course, the civil defense and medical guards will continue to be on duty in our community area.

We were also very lucky with the fires.

As you know, the fire has devastated large parts of our region, but so far no major fires have been reported in Floridia, even though we are in the middle of the fire season.

SPIEGEL:

The heat record made Floridia, like other places in the world, an epicenter of the climate crisis.

What should become of this record?

Carianni:

It's not a positive record and I don't want to be joked about it.

It really is no laughing matter.

We haven't been virtuous and the record temperatures show that we have a problem.

People and politics have to understand that.

Today, protecting the environment must be a top priority on any political agenda, at any political level.

SPIEGEL:

You are alluding to the various levels of politics. When it comes to the environment, the public's attention is primarily focused on large-scale national and international measures.

What role does the topic play in the everyday life of a local politician like you?

Carianni:

It's an absolutely important topic.

The Italian state has not yet understood how important local actors and institutions are in the fight against climate change.

You would have to consult with us much more often because we know the problems in everyday life much better.

If one is not connected to the basic needs of the community, the perception of reality is lost.

SPIEGEL:

Do you have an example?

Carianni:

Water is a

huge issue

for us, because of the drought and because a lot of agriculture is done here in the region.

The problem is that the main aqueducts here were built in the 1950s for a population of only ten thousand.

They were never renovated either and now the water network looks like a pasta strainer.

A lot of water is lost, but it is only now that people are starting to talk specifically about renovations because the money from the Recovery Fund is at stake.

SPIEGEL:

What are the priorities for your city with regard to the European Corona Relief Fund?

Carianni:

We have to start with

increasing

the energy efficiency of all buildings.

Also in public areas and in water supply facilities.

That would not only have good effects for the environment, but also for all citizens, who would have lower electricity costs.

We have to start at the grassroots.

An example: Our town hall has some window frames from the beginning of the 19th century.

Of course, something should have been done much earlier, but we have to start with such problems.

more on the subject

• Surf school owner in Sicily: "The fire destroyed everything in minutes" By Francesco Collini

• Heat, drought, fires: That's how bleak the UN forecast for the Mediterranean area by Christoph Seidler

• Evacuated villages, blackouts, extreme heat: the Mediterranean area continues to fight the flames

SPIEGEL:

What does national politics have to do to ensure that the changes also reach the local level?

Carianni:

An important boost comes from the »Ecobonus«, which is tax deductions for environmentally friendly projects. Tax relief is the most important tool to stimulate local communities on environmental issues. But we also have to simplify the bureaucratic side. Here in the south we don't have an efficient public administration, and if you want to invest in environmental projects, you'd better do it elsewhere. This also applies to public projects: in my city there is not a single cycle path. We presented a project months ago, but have not yet received a response from the ministry. People want to see results quickly, not after four or five years at the end of their term in office.

SPIEGEL:

Mr. Carianni, you were elected mayor in October 2020 when you were still 23. That was around the beginning of the second wave of the corona pandemic, now you have to fight a climatic emergency ...

Carianni:

Yes, that

brings

together a lot ... In the beginning I was actually a little worried because the lack of city police

officers meant

that we couldn't control enough whether people were adhering to the rules to contain the pandemic.

But then we started with awareness-raising campaigns and people understood that it was not about the well-being of the individual, but of the whole city.

When it comes to the heat crisis, I have to say: my fellow citizens simply did well because they stayed at home.

SPIEGEL:

What did you take away with you from those first few months in office?

Carianni:

I've learned patience, learned to be quiet, even though I wanted to scream sometimes.

But I will never give up.