Weather

Emergency Declared for Drought-Stricken Northern Italy

JUL 5 2022·Updated SEP 20 2022

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Image credit: Getty Images [via NBC]

The Facts

Italy's cabinet has approved a state of emergency declaration for five drought-stricken regions in the north of the country. The government allocated €36.5M euros to the Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, Piedmont, and Veneto regions.
Al Jazeera
These regions have been crippled by the worst drought to impact the area in 70 years, which has been exacerbated by an early-season heatwave and diminished rainfall.
Raw Story
The Po Valley contains some of Italy's wealthiest areas and fertile land. The Po River extends over 400 miles and is instrumental for irrigating rice as well as grazing cattle raised for milk often used to make the famous Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
NBC
Italy's largest agricultural union estimates that 30% of agricultural production and half of the farms in the Po Valley are threatened by drought.
guardian
The drought conditions plaguing northern Italy also include a lack of snowfall that has devastated the ice and snowpack in the Alps.
Democracy Now
On Sun., a glacier collapsed in the Dolomite mountain range of the Italian Alps causing fatalities with over a dozen people missing.
ITN

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The Spin

Establishment-critical narrative

The disasters in northern Italy show that climate change requires a drastic national response that may be too much for the Italian government to handle. The country is one of the most indebted in the world and is already battling the economic impact of inflation and Russia's war against Ukraine. Adding a climate emergency on top of debt woes is straining Italy's institutions to the brink.

Bloomberg.com

Pro-establishment narrative

The Italian government is boldly taking the lead and standing firm on actions to combat climate change. The nation even "greened" its constitution to protect the environment and its biodiversity. Rome's inclusive, strong approach is well renowned for safeguarding its future or generations to come.

Reuters