Climate Politics
Italy Faces National Climate Emergency to Add to Debt Woes
- Draghi’s government declares emergency in key regions
- Severe drought cuts seasonal crop as glacier collapses
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Italy, one of the world’s most indebted nations, is fighting a battle on a new front: climate change.
As drier-than-usual conditions and an early summer heat wave wreak havoc on agriculture and power supplies, the Italian government was forced on Monday to declare a state of emergency in five regions. That came just after Prime Minister Mario Draghi changed his agenda to fly to the Dolomites mountain range where a record high temperature had sent a glacial ice shelf crashing from the top of the Marmolada, killing at least seven people.