Rome, Europe Brief News – Italy is facing an unusually early heatwave and a lack of rainfall, particularly in the northern agricultural Po valley, which has been hit by its worst drought in decades.
Italy ‘s Prime Minister Mario Draghi declared a state of emergency over a worsening drought that has plagued five northern regions in recent weeks.
The government approved a state of emergency in Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lombardy, Piedmont and Veneto until December 31.
The government has also allocated a 36.5 million euro ($39.5m) fund to help those affected.
The state of emergency provides “extraordinary means and powers” to help guarantee public safety, compensation for losses while seeking to guarantee normal living conditions for those in the area.
According to the country’s largest agricultural union, Coldiretti, the drought threatens more than 30 percent of national agricultural production, and half of the farms in the Po Valley, where Parma ham is produced.
Lakes Maggiore and Garda – located close to Milan between the regions of Piedmont and Lombardy – were also hit by lower than normal water levels for this time of year, while further south the Tiber river, which runs through Rome, also dropped.
Climate change is causing global temperatures to rise. Greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide, released into Earth’s atmosphere in large volumes are trapping the sun’s heat, causing the planet to warm.
This has brought more extreme weather, including record-breaking high temperatures across the world.
