Where are we on the environment? #19

March's global events in five headlines, for those interested in the environment, sustainability and ecological transition.

1.

The latest report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reveals that most climatic-related migration will occur within the national boundaries of countries, with internal dynamics prevailing over international ones. The report also says that these migrations, which are already underway to some extent, will have economic consequences in turn and may cause political instability and, potentially, social conflict.

2.

Rain has fallen once again in Northern Italy, after more than 100 days of almost no precipitation. However, this may not be enough to make up for the drought of recent months, i.e. the effects of this prolonged scarcity of rainfall on water supplies and agriculture may not be averted. In order for the rain to improve the situation, it must not fall under storm conditions but rather in a widespread, constant pattern: at the moment, if the dry and hardened earth is subjected to intense rainfall it will not be able to absorb all the water and much of it will simply run off. Moreover, it is necessary for this period of rainfall to be followed by others until the month of May, which might not happen.

3.

The little insect known as the "spruce bark beetle" is causing damage to a number of woods in Northern Italy: because it makes its home in decomposing plants, its rate of reproduction has exploded thanks to the trees torn down by storm Vaia, to such an extent that it has now become a serious problem. One of the most obvious signs of bark beetle infestation is when trees begin to turn yellow, brown and red in colour. In late October, an enormous 250-year-old spruce tree had to be felled in Val Visdende, in the province of Belluno, due to this pest.

4.

For centuries, Italy and Switzerland have used the natural barrier of the Alps to mark out their border: where water flows down to the South is considered Italian territory, wherever it flows to the North is Swiss. Increasing temperatures, however, are causing the glacier to shrink. The result is a shifting border between the two countries, which have agreed upon a "mobile” border arrangement.

5.

The Council of State has upheld a ruling from the Court of Trento which forbids the province from destroying bears involved in attacks on humans without the prior authorisation of the Italian National Network for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA). Debate has raged for years on the presence and management of brown bears in Trentino, where the animals were re-introduced during the 1990s. The growth of their population in a relatively small area with a large human presence has made encounters between bears and humans more and more frequent, often causing problems for public order.