Drought and extreme heat are making life very difficult for farmers in Southern Italy. Sicily's desertification is blamed on the region's poor water management and climate impacts from a warming world.
What's happening?
A severe drought in Sicily is taking a toll on the land and the people who farm it. The parched island's only natural lake has almost completely dried up. Lake Pergusa is a symbol of what Sicily is suffering through. Italian government officials declared a state of emergency as the scorched land devastated crops.
"The situation is dramatic. There is no longer any water for the animals to drink," lamented Luca Cammarata, the 53-year-old owner of 200 goats, per the Guardian. "The only water resource we have is this artificial pond, but now there is nothing but mud. We ask the authorities to send the army to help us get water to the farms. We can't let the animals die. A farmer can't bear to see their animals die of thirst."
Farmers also need help to sustain their shrinking crops. The National Association of the Agricultural Water Board says some reservoirs in Sicily that supply drinking water were at only 10% capacity in March, according to the Guardian. That is when 1 million people, about a fifth of the island's population, were forced to begin water rationing.
Why is extreme drought in Sicily important?
The crisis in Sicily is being blamed not only on the extreme weather the region is experiencing, but also on poor management of water resources and ongoing infrastructure issues. However, scientists say heat-trapping gases building up in our atmosphere make droughts and heat waves more common and intense, causing dangerous situations for humans and animals.
The changing weather patterns are also affecting the food supply. Recently, concerns were raised that Italy's lemon yield would decrease, and the country's wine, fruit, and olive oil inputs have all been negatively affected by extreme weather.
The extreme drought has been happening for the past several months in southern Italy and has been exacerbated by periods of intense heat. Excessive heat warnings have been common in Sicily this summer. The last few summers have sizzled there, too, with Syracuse hitting 119.8 degrees Fahrenheit in August 2021, the hottest temperature ever recorded in Europe.
What's being done about Sicily's extreme drought?
The drought in Southern Italy can be somewhat mitigated for farmers by employing more prudent management of the limited resources available to them. Still, addressing how our warming world is making matters worse will take much more.
We can take several steps to slow down our planet's heating. Some of these steps are win-wins, like upgrading to LED bulbs, unplugging "energy vampires," and installing a heat pump.
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