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An aerial view shows barrels, plastic and contruction waste left scattered on the sides of a secondary road and a small waterway in the agricultural area called the land of fires “Terra dei Fuochi” in Marcianise, near Naples, on January 28, 2025. The European Court of Human Rights will rule on January 30, 2025 on the responsibility of the Italian state in the deaths caused by environmental pollution in the “land of fires”, a large area located in southern Italy, in relation with the illegal burying and incineration of toxic waste, which has led to an upsurge in cancer among the population. Nicknamed ‘the land of fires’ because of the many illegal sites where industrial waste, often imported from the north of the peninsula, was burnt in the open air, this region halfway between Naples and Caserta has been suffering from endemic pollution for decades, contaminating the soil, water and air. (Photo by Andreas SOLARO / AFP) (Photo by ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP via Getty Images)