Italy and southern Europe face health risks and an increasing struggle to grow food because of climate change in the 21st century, according to a new United Nations report.
Temperatures could rise by as much as five degrees Celsius in Europe by the end of the century, giving northern countries milder winters and making summers in the south increasingly hot and parched, the report says.
The latest study by experts on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is scheduled to be published in Brussels on April 6. But ANSA was able to view the draft document and learn its key conclusions.
The report predicts 30-40% less rain in the south by 2100, noting that this would have a serious impact on farming and also on tourism, because hotels and holiday villages would face water shortages.
With rivers losing 80% of their water in the summer, hydro-electric power generation would also suffer, the IPCC said.
Meanwhile, the rising level of the sea due to melting glaciers and ice caps would mean many areas of the coastline would be eroded, producing more problems for tourist businesses.
While southern Italy and Europe's Mediterranean regions will face prolonged droughts, northern Europe is expected to benefit. Milder winters and more water available will mean higher agricultural output.
According to some Italian biologists, the effect of climate change is already being felt in the country's wildlife.
"For some time now we have been detecting signs of the effects on insects," said Alberto Zilli of the Rome Zoological Museum. "Many species tend to spread further than they usually would because it's warmer."
In recent years Italy has seen the spread of insects like the dark mottled willow moth, a pest which strips the leaves off plants and devours vegetables.
Another insect finding new habitats thanks to the warmer weather is the hawker dragonfly, which can now be easily found in northern areas like the Po Valley, where it was previously extremely rare.
FEARS FOR SUMMER.
Italy has just had one of its mildest winters on record and the country is bracing for a blazing summer.
Preparations are being made for a potential summer power crisis caused by high temperatures and a low level of water in rivers which run generators.
Experts have warned that there is no chance for Italy's biggest river, the Po, to return to normal levels before the summer.
The farming community, which consumes some 60% of water resources, has been urged not to waste water. They, meanwhile, are urging the government to set up a special unit to coordinate measures to help them this summer.
"Italian agriculture cannot deal with another drought emergency without adequate planning of initiatives," said the CIA farmers' union.
By 2025, two-thirds of the world's population will live in countries affected by water scarcity, according to the UN's food agency FAO, which is to mark World Water Day on March 22 with a ceremony at its Rome headquarters.
As the number-one user of water worldwide, agriculture must take the lead in tackling the problem, it said in a statement released on Wednesday.
