What does it mean to talk about climate change, its effects and the actions needed to curb it and adapt to it in the area of the longest river flowing on Italian territory, traversing four regions and playing a major role in several economic activities? It means confronting a varied and complex picture that needs multiple shots to be portrayed in its entirety.
This is what was attempted during the event “There are no more half seasons. Climate Change and Adaptation in the Po River Basin,” curated by the Po River District Basin Authority and conducted by journalist Andrea Gavazzoli. Welcoming remarks by Alessandro Bratti, secretary general of the Po River District Basin Authority, were followed by several talks by experts from different areas, with different but complementary perspectives, who were able to give an overview of this phenomenon.
“The situation is not the best, it’s the reality of things, and it has to be said,” began Stefano Mariani, head of Ispra’s Meteo-Hydrological and Water Resources Analysis and Forecasting Section, who cast a glance at current climate changes and the impact these year in the Po River area: “Drought is a natural phenomenon, but due to climate change such events are becoming more persistent and more severe. “Add to this the fact that “temperature anomalies are increasing all the time,” and the picture outlined is far from reassuring.
“Data on climate change show that it has an ever-increasing economic impact,” elaborates Paola Mercogliano, division director Regional models and geo-hydrological impacts Cmcc. A situation that results in increasingly frequent extreme weather events, with damage in economic-social terms that is increasingly impactful, in an area that “has a 34 percent potentially floodable area, in which more than 3 million people live, and that needs adequate planning to avoid damage to homes and agricultural activities,” as Andrea Colombo, manager Technical Area and Technical Sector 1 Hydraulic and Geological Risk Assessment and Management, Po River District Basin Authority, explains. Echoed by Francesco Tornatore, manager of the Planning and Management of Resource Uses Sector Po River District Basin Authority, “It is a fragile area from this point of view, due to the high level of land artificialization.”
Therefore, one cannot talk about climate change without talking about mitigation of its effects. There are several strategies that can be employed in this regard: from investments in infrastructures that facilitate water management – as explained by Alessia Bondioli, official of the Po River District Basin Authority – to the enhancement of so-called “wetlands” capable of stemming the impact of extreme climatic events in the short term – explains Fernanda Moroni, director Technical Sector 2 Water Planning and Protection, Po River District Basin Authority – to projects such as LIFE CLIMAX PO, which unites 160 other stakeholders in a climate change adaptation effort – illustrated by Paolo Leoni, Po River District Basin Authority official. One issue remains, however, as AIPO executive Mirella Vergnani explains, “We struggle to measure the value of ecosystem services and the impact of these interventions. But it is precisely these measures that allow us to understand whether these are effective actions.”