In Rome, the waters of the Tiber are so low that tourists are flocking to see the newly exposed ruins of a bridge built during the time of Emperor Nero. In Northern Italy, the Po is called king of riversthe king of rivers, of the ancient Roman poet Virgil – dries up, exposing a sunken graveyard of wrecked vehicles and barges from the Second World War. These historical curiosities are of no interest to Italian farmers. They are in a low-grade panic because of the severe drought – the worst in 70 years – and the brutal heat wave that has gripped the country, which have been blamed on climate change. They worry about falling production as their fields dry up due to lack of rain. In Umbria, central Italy, Fausto Venturi, a farmer who devotes his autumn to the olive harvest, fears a second consecutive lean year. Last season, the yield from the thousands of trees he uses to make his emerald olive oil dropped by 40% due to extreme temperatures. Unless more rain comes soon, a similar decline could occur this year. “Drought scares everybody,” he told The Globe and Mail. “Unfortunately, we’re moving into a 10- or 15-day period where temperatures should rise. I remember years ago it was also hot, but it definitely rained more.” Mr Venturi was speaking as the temperature in his area of Umbria, near the medieval town of Spoleto, was 31C, which is considered a refreshingly low this summer in Italy. Temperatures around Spoleto are forecast to reach 37C by the weekend. Some parts of Italy saw temperatures of 40C or higher. For the agricultural industry in Italy and elsewhere in Europe, extreme heat is intensifying the effects of drought. Late last week, an analysis by Coldiretti, the Italian agricultural union, showed that June was the second warmest on record in Europe, with temperatures 1.6 degrees above average – 2.88 degrees in Italy. Farmer Fausto Venturi devotes his autumns to the olive harvest, but fears he will face a lean crop for the second year in a row.Eric Reguly/The Globe and Mail/The Globe and Mail Coldiretti estimated that the drought has caused 3 billion euros in damage to Italian crops, with yields for maize and wheat already down 30 percent. “We ask the EU to support structural measures to address the water emergency and ensure the availability of water at a time when, due to the effects of the war in Ukraine, we need all our potential to guarantee food to citizens,” said Coldiretti president Ettore Prandini. The north of Italy, in the 650 km long Po Valley, which stretches from the Western Alps to the Adriatic Sea, is where agriculture is most affected by drought. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s government declared a state of emergency in five regions of northern Italy after water levels in the Po, Italy’s largest freshwater resource, dropped by three-quarters. The crisis is the result of sharply lower rainfall – half the normal level in recent months – high evaporation rates due to extreme heat and a lack of snowfall in the Alps and Dolomite mountains. Last week, Tuscany became the first region in central Italy to declare a state of emergency. Mr Draghi said the drought was “undoubtedly” linked to climate change. The emergency orders will be accompanied by €36.5 million in government funds to improve water supplies, especially to repair Italy’s notoriously leaky pipes, which are losing nearly 40 percent of their flow. Arable land near the Adriatic already appears to be a lost cause. The seawater has flowed about 30 kilometers into the Po, destroying the crops on the banks of the river. Water restrictions have been imposed in dozens of municipalities in Northern Italy, and many cities are so short of water that they are trucking it in. Some of these measures prohibit washing cars and watering gardens. Mauro Nuvolone, of agricultural company Fonio, walks through a dry paddy field in Sozzago, near Novara, northern Italy on July 11.PIERO CRUCIATTI/AFP/Getty Images The most dramatic evidence of climate change in Italy came on July 2, when part of the Marmolada Glacier in the Dolomites – the eastern Alps range – collapsed, killing at least 11 climbers. At 3,343 meters, Marmolada is the highest peak in the Dolomites. The scant snowfall has left the glaciers unprotected from the high temperatures of spring and summer, making them vulnerable to collapse as they melt. The temperature near the top of Marmolada had reached a record 10C on the afternoon of the collapse. Scientists say the glacier has lost more than 80 percent of its volume in the past 72 years and could be gone within 15 years at its current rate of melting. Other Italian alpine glaciers are vulnerable to collapse, notably the Planpincieux glacier in the Mont Blanc massif. It slides up to two meters a day in the summer heat. Two years ago, the village near the base of the mountain was evacuated for fear of the glacier collapsing. Our Morning Update and Afternoon Update newsletters are written by Globe editors, giving you a concise summary of the day’s most important headlines. Sign up today.
