They head to the site of a fatal glacier collapse. Their job is to locate the dead. “If we see something like parts of equipment or clothing, I will recover it,” says Riccardo Manfredi, one of the Guardia di Finanza search and rescue team. On Sunday, a huge chunk of the glacier on Mount Marmolada broke off, causing a landslide as it made its way down the slope. Experts say 260,000 cubic meters of snow, rock and ice fell at speeds of more than 300 kilometers per hour. There was little warning. there is no way he can escape. At least 10 people have been confirmed dead. “It is not normal” As the helicopter flies closer to the mountain, you can clearly see the hollow of the area where the collapse occurred. It is believed that a warm winter with less snow and a summer heatwave melted the ice, making it unstable. Image: The Guardia di Finanza search and rescue team Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said the incident was “undoubtedly” linked to climate change. Rescue teams have also noticed the changing environment. “This high temperature is not normal – and we see that the glacier has melted. Probably, in the next decade the glacier will be gone,” says Mr Manfredi. Rising temperatures have prompted a state of emergency in five regions of northern Italy due to drought. The water level has dropped eight meters in some parts of Italy’s longest river, the Po. Image: Boats sunk during World War II are now visible in the Po In the town of Gualtieri in Emilia-Romagna, ships sunk during World War II are again clearly visible due to the falling river level. “I have never experienced a situation like this in my entire life. It is so dramatic. We know well what it means to have a lack of water in this area [for the economy]. I’ve never seen a situation like this before,” local mayor Renzo Bergamini tells us. But experts say the hot summer is part of a wider trend. “This kind of summer is actually what we expect for climate change. It’s a signal of climate change,” says Susanna Corti, director of research at the Italian National Research Council. “In the future, in the different [scientific] scenarios and, in particular, in the most extreme scenarios where there is no mitigation in terms of CO2 emissions, we would expect exactly what we see.” Image: Parmigiano Reggiano in Italy Even the world-famous Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is affected – the extreme heat is taking its toll on milk supplies. Farmer Luca Cotti from Parma says the drought has damaged the strictly controlled crops needed to feed his cows. High temperatures also stress the herd, reducing the amount of milk they produce. Read more: Britain could reach 40C by mid-July Image: Luca Cotti is a dairy farmer “In the stables, high temperatures cause a decrease in the appetite of the animals, [causing a] decrease in production and in the long run decrease in fertility,” he explains. “We have to survive. We are already designing air-conditioned stables to accommodate our business. Another solution, which our organization ‘Coldiretti’ is asking for, is for the authorities to create water containment basins.” People here have no choice. they must adapt: saving water, changing crops and braving the heat as Italy bakes.
