Dying from SMOG, Activists Protest for Change

TURIN (04-21) – Members of Extinction Rebellion, the global non-violent environmental activist group, met this morning in the beautiful 17th century Baroque Piazza San Carlo where they organized a “Funeral for the Environment” protest and march to the Consiglio Regionale del Piemonte at the Palazzo Lascaris, to demand cleaner air for the region.

Prior to the march, activists dressed in black prepared a black coffin with a long black veil as is the custom for burials in Italy. Accompanied by funeral music the groups slowly made their way to the regional assembly that was set to meet inside the building. As police in riot gear stood by, the peaceful activists placed the coffin on the cobbled stone street in front of the entrance and unfurled a banner reading in Italian: “Piedmont, Change: We Can’t Breathe.”

As music played in the background, they performed a die-in demanding the council take immediate action to improve air quality for the entire region. Afterward, the group planted flowers inside cardboard boxes in the coffin and then, after being covered with the coffin lace, sat on the ground as part of a silent protest.

Situated in the Po Valley, Turin has some of the worst air quality and pollution in Italy due to the confluence of its geographical setting, traffic, and home heating emissions, along with industrial pollution that traps pollution near the ground, making life miserable for residents.

Activists charged that instead of addressing the continuing regional crisis, the council “has been paralyzed for weeks by its own scandals and continues to postpone serious structural policies to reduce smog.”

When confronted regarding concerns respective about AQI, and the critically unhealthy particulate levels between PM2.5 and PM10, which activists noted are “four times higher than the human health limits established by the WHO,” the consul has responded that the particulates here “Are cleaner here than elsewhere.” This statement is clearly intended to obfuscate their responsibility to protect against the particulates which can penetrate deep in the lungs, causing an increase to the risk of lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, and stroke, as well as chronic respiratory conditions.

The ever-present poor air quality and SMOG in Piedmonte is estimated to cause 900 premature deaths in Turin and 4,000 annually in the region. Among those most affected are the very young, older people and those who have existing and serious health conditions.

Clean air is a human right, and government is charged with the responsibility of protecting all of it citizens in seeing that they have the highest quality clean air through the creation of clean air quality laws and enforcement of legislation to ensure we can all breath healthy air.

Unfortunately, the problem of poor air quality is a global one which no one can escape and an issue that activists must address to resolve. The political will to provide clean air is centered more on profit and corporate interests than immediate and sustainable resolution regarding people’s health.

Report and photos by Phil Pasquini

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