Venice waterways dry up as Italy braces for another year of severe drought
Another year of severe drought in Italy looks increasingly likely after a winter of little snowfall, raising fears of diminished crop harvests, drinking water supplies and hydropower.
The Alps have received less than half their normal amount of snowfall, while water levels on Lake Garda in northern Italy have fallen to record lows, making it possible to walk to the lake’s small island of San Biagio via an exposed pathway.
Meanwhile in Venice on the northeast coast, a city usually more concerned with flooding, unusually low tides are making it impossible for gondolas, water taxis and ambulances to navigate some of the famous canals.
The problems in Venice are being blamed not just on a lack of rain, but also a high pressure system, a full moon and sea currents.
The dry winter follows an exceptional drought last year that caused Italy to declare a state of emergency for critical agricultural areas surrounding the Po river.
Olive trees withered and half the water evaporated in some hydropower reservoirs.
While parts of Italy have since recovered, patches in the north are still in drought, suffering from little rain and dry soils, according to the European Drought Observatory.
The Po, Italy’s longest river which runs from the Alps in the northwest to the Adriatic, has just a third of the water than is normal for this time of year, the Legambiente environmental group said on Monday.
Read more climate change news
‘Lacklustre’ govt plans to tackle sewage spills on beaches criticised
36 people killed as heavy rain causes mudslides in Brazil
How mayor faced down death threats to make his city’s transport go green
An anticyclone has been dominating the weather in western Europe for the last 15 days, bringing mild temperatures more normally seen in late spring.
But forecasters expect much-needed rain and snow in the Alps in the coming days.
Climate breakdown is making drought in the Mediterranean more severe and more likely, although it is not to blame for all droughts globally, according to climate scientists at the World Weather Attribution group.
Watch the Daily Climate Show at 3.30pm Monday to Friday, and The Climate Show with Tom Heap on Saturday and Sunday at 3.30pm and 7.30pm.
All on Sky News, on the Sky News website and app, on YouTube and Twitter.
The show investigates how global warming is changing our landscape and highlights solutions to the crisis.
